Just For You
by purpleflame81
Summary: Chapter 17. Goodbye. These the last words she uttered as she jumped into the lifestream. He followed headlong in her wake, but what shall he find? After saving so many, can he now save his dearest one, or will she become another precious memory? Cloti.
1. Prologue

Author's notes: Hey....guess what??? My first fic...it's gonna be short, I think, but, like I said...!!

Anyway, let's get on with it!!! ) this is a fic based on one of my favorite songs...'For You'.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story or final fantasy for that matter.

Prologue

_I am a vision..._

_I am justice..._

_Never thought that I could love_...

Cloud Strife was a mess. He and his friends had saved the world, yes. But now, nearly a year after they'd defeated Sephiroth, his life couldn't possibly get any worse. Now, he'd separated himself from everything that meant anything to him...he'd separated himself from _her._ He told himself that it had been necessary...but the truth was that he was running away. He was running away from the guilt. Aeris. He couldn't save her. He'd promised to be her bodyguard. Hah. Some bodyguard he was. All he could do was watch her DIE.

He stood up and looked around him. The place was desolate as hell. He didn't particularly like being here, but he didn't have much of a choice. He needed to get to the City of the Ancients. He'd been wandering around the world for a while now since he'd left his friends three months ago. He did know a few things about them, though. Barret had moved to Kalm with Marlene, Vincent had apparently disappeared, Yuffie returned to Wutai and Cid to Rocket Town. As for _her_, the last he'd heard, she'd moved back to Nibelheim and had opened a second bar there. He missed her. It was on days like this when he just wished he could hold her, but he knew he wouldn't let himself face her. Not until he found a way to be forgiven...

Part of him knew it wasn't his fault, but the other part refused to let it go. He had to talk to her. With that thought in mind, he took the reins of his gold chocobo, Rei, got on, and coaxed him into a run.

Tifa Lockhart was very tired; she'd had to put up with several drunken louts tonight, and they had all but worn her out. She closed up for the night and turned to look around her at the different buildings that were so familiar to her. She walked, half dragging her feet, toward the small house on the east side of town that she called home. On the way there, she looked up to see the well which was situated close to the middle of town like it had always been. She remembered that night years ago when she and Cloud had been on that well...she remembered his promise...

Flashback

Tifa: "If you become famous and I'm ever in a bind, you'll come to save me, right? My hero will come to save me. I want to experience that at least once...

Cloud: Alright, I will.

End of flashback

She sighed. It was time to let go of the past. Cloud wasn't here anymore; he'd left them three months ago without a word, just a letter saying he needed time to find himself. She was sure his sudden departure had something to do with Aeris. She knew he felt guilty about not being able to save her. _"But I don't think that's the only reason why you left... you missed her, didn't you? You wanted to find a way to bring her back, that's why you left." _She sighed again. Thinking about him wasn't going to get her anywhere. So she pushed the thought aside and continued to her home.


	2. Closure

A/n: well, uh, I don't know exactly how to start this chapter, but I'll try. I'm going to focus on Cloud and Tifa mostly, because this fic _is _CloTi.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fic.

Chapter One: Closure

_Living in shadows, faded existence_

_It was never good enough_

_Left in the darkness, you are the light that shines a way_

_All trapped in violence_

_I can be the man who saves the day..._

Cloud's lips were dry and chapped, and he was freezing because of the cold. "_Man, I knew I should've at least stopped by a town to get a blanket!" _he thought to himself. "_Whatever, I'm almost to Bone Village anyway." _With that thought, he leaned into Rei to get a little of whatever warmth the chocobo could give him and silently hoped he could get to where he was going before he froze to death.

_**Nibelheim...**_

It was cold outside. Tifa had closed the bar early, and she was looking out the window at the world outside her home. _"I can't believe it's been three months since Cloud left, _she thought to herself. She hated to admit it, but she still loved him, and she really missed him. She hadn't heard from him since he left, and the others hadn't either. Vincent had disappeared too, which was very distressing for everyone since he hadn't said anything about where he was going and if they would ever see him again. She'd tried checking the mansion to see if he'd decided to stay there, but the place was deserted save for a few monsters and various insects. She laid her head on her crossed arms and rested them against her knees as she sat up in her bed, thinking about the others. She really wanted to see them all again. She picked up her PHS and stared at it, thinking to call everyone and see how they were doing, but something stopped her. She didn't want to just call them, she wanted to _see _them. With that, she got up and started to pack her bags.

_**City of the Ancients...**_

He finally arrived. _"Man I'm tired. Maybe I'll go find a nice bed to sleep in... No, I need to find her now."_

He walked to the place where he and the others had watched Aeris die. He braced himself for the haunting memories that he knew would overwhelm him, and cautiously stepped inside.

Everything was the same as before. He walked towards the altar. Suddenly, there was a blinding white light.

"_Cloud..." _

"_Aeris?!"_

"_Yeah...How've you been, Cloud?"_

"_Tired..."_

"_Somehow I knew you'd say that. Why are you here?"_

"_I came to talk to you."_

"_About what?"_

"_I wasn't able to protect you, I couldn't save you! _

"_You know that wasn't your fault. It was Sephiroth's doing."_

"_Yes, but I promised to protect you!"_

"_I don't blame you for what happened. I don't blame anyone. That was my fate."_

"_But you didn't deserve to die."_

"_Maybe not, but that isn't for us to decide."_

"..."

"_Listen. I don't blame you for what happened, and I want you to be happy. I want all of you to be happy."_

"_But still I – I couldn't..."_

"_Shhh... You don't need forgiveness from me. You've done nothing to warrant forgiveness from me. You need forgiveness from yourself."_

"_...Why?"_

"_You haven't noticed? You've been really hard on yourself because you believe you were responsible for my death, and you weren't. That's why I came to see you."_

"_Why did you have to die?"_

"_It was the planet's will."_

"_...I guess so."_

"_Just say hi to Tifa for me, okay?"_

"_Tifa?"_

For the first time in that conversation Aeris smiled.

"_You don't need to hide it from me, you know. I've known for a long time that you love her."_

"_What?!"_

"_Y'know, the expression on your face is priceless." _She laughed.

He scowled. How the hell did she know? Then it hit him. She was dead; she'd returned to the planet. Of course she knew. She knew he loved Tifa more than anything, just as she'd known why he'd come.

Aeris sobered up and continued, _"There's really just one problem."_

"_What?!"_

"_Does Tifa know?"_


	3. Escape To Kalm

A/n: heh, I really am corny. Thanks for the review! Anyway, on with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fic.

Chapter 2: Escape to Kalm

_I'm there for you_

_No matter what_

_Cloud: Of course she knows. How can she possibly not know?_

_Aeris: Cloud, I know you're going to get mad at me for saying this, but I don't think she knows how you feel about her..._

That latter part of his conversation with Aeris – or, rather, her soul, really bothered him. How could Tifa _not_ know what he felt for her? He'd shown her, hadn't he? Suddenly he couldn't remember. _She _had always been there for him but, had _he_ been there for her?

Sure, he loved her. He'd loved her since he was a kid, and he was reminded of it every time he saw her smile...but he _hadn't_ shown her he loved her. In fact, he'd pulled away from them – from her – when he'd decided to look for Aeris, but he'd done that for her...he did everything for her.

In fact, she was part of the reason why he'd been so determined to defeat Sephiroth. He had wanted her to have a future. He'd wanted to have a future with her. He'd gone out to look for Aeris because his guilt wouldn't let him rest, and he couldn't pour his heart out to Tifa that way. He had wanted to be free of the nagging guilt so that he could rebuild his life...with her. How the hell could she even think that he didn't love her?!

At that moment, he made up his mind. But he needed to see her first, and he knew exactly where she'd be. Whether she knew how he felt or not, he would tell her.

_**Wutai **_

Tifa had finally arrived.

She had already called Yuffie to tell her she would be coming for a short visit, so she didn't feel out of place as she knocked on the door. Yuffie opened it and, seeing Tifa standing there, jumped up and gave a very surprised Tifa a bear hug that nearly knocked the wind out of her.

"I'm SO glad you're finally here, she exclaimed. "I was starting to go crazy with all the stupid training, and they wouldn't even let me use any materia! Speaking of which, you don't happen to have any, do ya_," _she asked excitedly.

Tifa sighed in exasperation. Yuffie sure hadn't changed much.

She smiled.

Cloud always told her to watch her materia when Yuffie was around, reminding her of the trouble they'd had to go through getting 'em back from her the last time.

"What're you smiling for? Did you miss me THAT much? Yuffie commented, looking at Tifa's odd, nostalgic expression. "Yeah, I really missed you THAT much, Yuffie."

She smiled again as Yuffie led her into the house where she dumped Tifa's bags on the floor saying Tifa could take care of 'em later and that she had a lot of things to show her. She nodded and followed Yuffie out of the house.

They went to the bar and found a few all-too-familiar faces inside.

Reno and Rude were there, but they weren't in the mood to fight. They did ask about the others, though, including Cloud, which made Tifa stiffen slightly.

"We haven't seen ol'spiky in a few months. He ran off somewhere, said he had somethin' important to do,"Yuffie said carelessly.

Reno looked over at Tifa, whose smile was still plastered to her face.

"Is anything wrong with her?" Reno asked Yuffie, trying to sound cool to impress the raven-haired girl.

"Huh? Oh yeah, Tifa, you ok?_" _Yuffie asked.

Tifa finally snapped out of her trance. "Y-yeah. I'm fine."

"You sure? You looked totally zoned out a minute ago," Yuffie said.

"No, really, I'm fine, maybe a little tired,"Tifa said, faking fatigue.

"Heh, guess we'd better go home then," she said, pulling Tifa along.

"That trip must've beenprettytough," Yuffie commented. "You look ready to faint."

"I guess I am a little more tired than I thought," she lied.

As she lay in bed that night, she looked over at Yuffie who was sleeping soundly beside her. "_I wish I could sleep that way again, _she thought. _"I haven't had a good night's sleep like that since he left..."_ Tifa thought as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

_**Nibelheim, two days later**_

Cloud arrived, checked himself into the inn and quickly started off in the direction of Tifa's bar.

It was closed.

"What the hell? It isn't supposed to be closed, not at this hour..."

A thought entered his mind, and, frantic for her safety, kicked the door open. The wood gave easily, and as he stepped inside, he found that the place was...deserted.

He quickly went back out and set off in search of her house.

When he found it, he stepped up to the front door and started banging on the door in his haste, and he inadvertently roused a sleepy neighbor who retaliated by screaming his head off at Cloud.

Unperturbed, Cloud looked up at the guy who was still leaning out of his window sill and calmly asked, "Where's Tifa?"

Surprised the other man responded to his screaming so calmly, the neighbor answered, "She left town a few days ago, said she would be gone a few weeks, visiting "old friends."

"Do you know where she went? Cloud asked, thinking about where she would have gone.

"I think she said she would be visiting some girl in a town somewhere. I don't remember the name though."

"Thanks. And, uh, I'm sorry about waking you..." Cloud trailed off.

"It's ok, now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some more sleep." the neighbor said, still grumbling.

Cloud went back to the inn, Tifa's unexpected departure weighing heavily on his fatigued brain. _"She must've gone to see Yuffie in Wutai. If I leave now, I might be able to catch up to her before she leaves." _Cloud thought to himself.

He went back into the inn, stopped only long enough to take a quick shower and an even quicker snack before he went to the stables and led an exhausted-looking Rei out of it.

"You're going to have to bear with me, buddy. I really need to talk to her." The chocobo responded by nodding its head in a quick, rhythmic motion, telling him that he understood.

Cloud yawned. _"Looks like I'll be sleeping on the road again tonight." _

_**Wutai, two days later**_

"I guess I'll be leaving now, Yuffie. I really had a lot of fun," Tifa said, smiling at the ninja.

"You'd better come back soon, or else!" she said, punching the air with her fists.

Tifa laughed. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

As she left the village, Tifa looked back at it and saw Yuffie jumping up and down, waving at her. She waved back happily. "_I'm so glad I came here," _she thought. _"I hope it'll be just as much fun when I get to Rocket Town." _She took the reins of her own gold chocobo, Aki, and started to leave.

She had just started to guide Aki towards the sea when she spotted another gold chocobo in the distance, along with its blond-haired rider. She knew who it was as soon as she saw him. It was Cloud alright, and, as much as she wanted to see him, she wasn't quite ready to hear about Aeris' return.

With that, she turned Aki in the direction of the Wutai mountain range and waited until Cloud went into town. As soon as he went in, she took hold of Aki's reins and coaxed him into a run and headed in the direction of Kalm instead.

As soon as Cloud came into town, he was met by Yuffie who asked what he was doing there.

"Where's Tifa?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Oh, Tifa just left a few minutes ago, you just missed her," Yuffie said, hoping Cloud would decide to stay the night.

"Where did she say she was going?" he asked, turning to leave.

"I-I think she said she was going to Rocket Town to visit Cid and Shera," Yuffie answered, her heart sinking.

Cloud walked swiftly out of town, trying to figure out why, if Tifa had just left, he hadn't seen her when he'd arrived. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a sharp tug on his arm. He turned to see Yuffie standing there, her eyes strangely watery.(But of course, ol' Spiky doesn't notice this)

"What is it, Yuffie," Cloud asked, his eyes on the horizon, trying to find a trace of Tifa.

"Why are you looking for Tifa?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I need to talk to her," Cloud murmured absentmindedly.

"But WHY? Why do you need to talk to her?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"I have to go now," he said, not bothering to answer her.

With that, he got on Rei and raced off towards the sea, leaving a devastated Yuffie behind.


	4. Strength Of Will

A/n: hey everyone! I am swamped with work, but there's always time for that later...I like to slack off better anyway. ) Oh and I wanna thank you guys for reviewing chapter 2...!

Freekster – welcome back!

Snowfox – Thanks for pointing that out to me. I've already revised the chapter. )

Midas – Thank you for reviewing! (See above)! )

Kingpin – I'll illustrate why she reacted that way in this chapter. Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.

Chapter 3: Strength Of Will

_I'm there for you_...

_**Wutai**_

Yuffie sat in her room, morosely contemplating what had just happened. Cloud obviously loved Tifa; she knew that now more than ever. She'd seen it in his eyes when she'd told him Tifa had already left; from the disappointment she'd heard in his voice...it was everything. And she hated it. She liked Tifa very much, but the fact that Cloud liked the other girl better was tearing her up inside.

"_And why should he like _YOU_ better?" _a grating voice in her head asked.

"_Because I love him..."_

"_And Tifa doesn't?" _

"_I don't know..."_

She thought back to the first time she met everyone. Aeris was still alive at that time, and Yuffie knew _she'd_ liked Cloud too, but the spiky chocobo-head never paid any attention to her despite the fact that she was always throwing herself at him. Yuffie knew why now. He'd been in love with someone else all along.

"_I fell for him too, almost from the moment we met..." _She'd had a crush on him for as long as she could remember; he was a very attractive man, after all. But that was all it was...then he fell into the lifestream and emerged as someone who was totally different. THAT had been what had really touched her heart. It wasn't due to pity because he'd been living a lie for the past few years of his life...but because he had become a much kinder person – completely removed from what he'd been before.

He had even come down to the holds a few times to see how she was doing...he'd even confessed to getting airsick, which wasn't in keeping with his macho image as leader. It seemed shallow, she knew, but it was the truth.

Somehow she had always hoped that when he'd resolved his issues, he would come to notice her...but that wasn't what happened. From the time she realized she loved him – or at least began to – she'd tried to get him to notice her. But it was no use. He'd always paid more attention to Tifa from the first...and after coming out of the lifestream with her, well, they became practically inseparable.

"_I wanted to tell you I loved you so many times...but you never let anyone near you. Except for her. But she never really realized it..." _She almost hated Tifa for it, but in the end, she knew she could never really hate her. If she continued to live her life this way, she knew it would drive her nuts.

She was still very young – there would be others – and she cared for them both very much. She wanted nothing more than to see them happy. She had to let her feelings for him go...she'd tried to do so before, but this time it would be for real. It hurt, but she knew it was hopeless. Cloud could never love her.

Yuffie stood up, walked out of the house and wandered outside the village to the beach. Looking up at the star-filled night sky, she whispered a wish from deep in her heart. "Find her soon, Cloud. Find her quickly." Then she dropped down to the soft sand and cried.

_**Somewhere near Nibelheim**_

Cloud guided an exhausted Rei toward a small clearing a few miles away from Nibelheim and sat down, still thinking about Tifa. "_Why didn't I see her when I arrived? Yuffie said she'd just left, so why...?" _Then a sudden thought struck him. _"Could it be she didn't want to see me? But why wouldn't she...?" _he was really confused now.

"Why wouldn't you want to see me, Tifa?!" he yelled into the still night air. "Why...?" he asked, falling to his knees on the ground.

"_I don't think she knows how you feel about her..."_ Aeris' words rang like a death knell in his head.

"_I guess you were right, Aeris. Tifa doesn't know..." _he thought sadly.

He stood up and looked around the familiar landscape, more determined now to find Tifa and tell her how he felt. It was the only way she'd realize how much he really loved her, and the fact that she'd run from him _because_ she didn't know was killing him.

He wanted to find her as quickly as possible, and he'd be out of here if he could, but Rei had reached his limit. He could always walk around until he found himself a ride, but he didn't want to leave his chocobo, and it would probably take longer anyway, so he'd decided to spend the night here.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a soft rustling sound behind him. He turned just in time to catch a glimpse of a deep red cape.

"Vincent?" he called out.

"You're a very noisy person, do you realize that?"

Cloud turned, trying to see where he was. "What?!"

"You were yelling. I could hear you even from miles away."

"Oh. Sorry."

Vincent appeared in front of him. "I thought you were in pain."

"I was." Cloud said quietly, and in a voice laced with the hurt he still felt acutely.

Vincent's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't thought Cloud would admit it to him. He decided to change the subject then. "What are you doing here? The town's not that much farther."

"My chocobo was ready to drop." he said, glancing at the now sleeping Rei.

Vincent looked at Cloud curiously. "Are you in a hurry?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I need to find someone."

"Who?"

"Tifa."

"Why?"

Cloud shook his head. He wasn't willing to talk about such a private matter with anyone at the moment.

"Ok then, if you don't wish to talk about that..."

"Thanks. So where are you headed?" Cloud asked.

"Nowhere." Vincent answered.

"What do you mean 'nowhere'?"

"I do not have a home to return to, and the mansion holds too many painful memories for me."

"I see. So what were you doing here?" Cloud said, sitting down.

"Just passing through. Much like you, actually, except I am in no hurry."

"...I see."

Vincent looked at Cloud for a moment, thinking. "...What if I help you find her?"

Cloud looked up at the taller man and smiled weakly. "I'd appreciate that. Thank you."

"Anytime." Vincent said, sitting down under a tree.

They were quiet for a few minutes, and Cloud, tired from the day's journey, fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Vincent, however, stayed awake a few hours longer, thinking about what he'd heard while he was hidden in the bushes. He understood Cloud's pain...it was the pain of being in love. "Lucrecia..." he whispered.

The reason why he wanted to help Cloud find Tifa was because he didn't want what happened between him and Lucrecia all those years ago to happen to them. He didn't want them to get separated by fate – by anyone. Hojo had come between him and Lucrecia – she had chosen Hojo over him. After that, Lucrecia had kept her distance, and he never really understood why...and it still hurt to think about it.

He thought of Cloud and Tifa as friends now, and he wanted them to be happy. He didn't know exactly why Tifa had run from Cloud – and judging from his friend's anguished cries, Vincent knew he didn't know either. He looked over at Cloud's sleeping form, realizing then that he had forgotten to ask him where he thought Tifa had gone. "_I suppose I could ask him in the morning." _Vincent thought, lying down on the ground himself. He fell asleep a few minutes later.

The next day, Cloud woke up at dawn to find Vincent looking down at him with a strange look on his face. "What?" Cloud asked.

Vincent shook his head. "Nothing. I just wanted to ask you where you'd looked so far."

"I've been to both Wutai and Nibelheim. Yuffie said she'd gone to Rocket Town."

"You'd better look for her elsewhere then. I can assure you Tifa is _not _in Rocket Town."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, I passed through there before I came upon you here last night. She wasn't there."

"I see. I'll go to Rocket Town just in case. If she isn't there, maybe I could ask Cid if we could use the airship for awhile. It's a lot faster than going around by chocobo." Cloud replied.

"Alright, then. I'll go to Midgar first, and if she isn't there, I'll go on to Kalm." Vincent said.

"Ok. Let's go." Cloud said almost excitedly. Now that Vincent was helping him, he had a better chance of finding her.

_**In the outskirts of Kalm**_

Tifa led a severely dehydrated and exhausted Aki toward Kalm, which was still a ways off. She could see it now, though, and it was a welcome sight. She hadn't stopped since she'd left Wutai, which meant she hadn't had any sleep, and Aki, who she'd ridden for most of the way, was a pitiful sight. She felt sorry for her chocobo – he was very dear to her since she'd raised him herself, but she couldn't seem to make herself stop just yet. She wanted to get to Kalm as quickly as she could. She and Aki would rest when they arrived.

_**A few hours later**_

Tifa arrived at Kalm, and, as quickly as she could, led Aki to the chocobo stables and fed him the rest of the mimett greens she'd brought along. Then she gave him a big bowl of water. As soon as he was done, she took the bowl and put it aside; then she patted his head and left to let him sleep. She headed to Barret and Marlene's house next.

As soon as she arrived, she knocked on the door and anxiously waited for someone to come and open it. She hadn't called Barret to tell him she would be coming early; the truth was that in her haste, she had forgotten to do so completely. A few minutes later, the door finally opened, and she found herself looking at a very surprised Barret.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming 'til next week?!" Barret asked, clearly startled.

"It's a long story..." she answered softly.

"Well, now that you're here, I might as well let you in." Barret said, turning aside to let her pass.

"Thanks, Barret." Tifa answered, flashing a grateful smile at her friend.

She moved forward to go in, and as soon as she did, she saw a very pretty Marlene who happened to be dressed in pink. In her exhaustion, she imagined she was seeing Aeris and fainted, landing with a thud on the floor.

A/n: well there you go! Chapter 3's finally done. cheers It took me weeks to decide what to do with it, and nearly a week to finally begin and finish...hope you guys like it ) oh, and the chappy's title came from Cloud's part...


	5. Revelation

A/n: I'm baaack...!! Hehe Sorry it took me so long to update; I was away on a trip for a week, and I had this really bad case of writer's block, and school's keeping me busy...anyway, I'm thinking of making the chapters a bit more dramatic from here on...I'm not sure what I'm gonna do, but I'll try. Okay, on with the story!

Midas – Thanks a lot for the review!

Adriana Evander – I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review.

jisAtsU siLENcE – You're right, they aren't...at least not Cloud in this chapter. 'grins'

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fic.

Chapter 4: Revelation

_Never giving up_

_I'm there for you_

_For You..._

_**Rocket Town**_

Cloud arrived in Rocket Town with a slightly lighter heart than before. Vincent was helping him find Tifa now, and, for the first time since he'd realized she was running away from him and he started his pursuit of her, he felt real, untainted hope. He knew in his heart that this trial would pass; he would surely be able to see her again...

His thoughts were interrupted when he caught sight of Cid and Shera's home. The large airship he knew so well was conspicuously parked just behind the small house; he knew Cid had to be inside, hard at work as usual. He smiled slightly, thinking about Cid's reaction to seeing him. They hadn't seen or talked to each other since he left for his journey nearly a year ago. _"He's gonna be mad." _he thought, bracing himself for the tongue-lashing he knew he would get from the grumpy old man as he turned into the last corner.

"_Well, I might as well go in and see."_ he thought as he stopped in front of the door and raised his hand to knock. The door was opened before he could, and he suddenly found himself looking into Cid's greasy face.

"Uh...Cid?" Cloud said, not yet recovering from the shock.

"Cloud you #$! Where've you been?"

"...Around."

"Whaddya mean 'around'? None of us have seen you or heard from you since you left!"

"...I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, man! Tifa's been - !" Shera appeared beside Cid and grabbed his arm, effectively interrupting whatever it was he was going to say next. "What?!" he asked, surprised.

Shera just shook her head, silently telling Cid not to continue saying whatever it was he was going to say. She then turned to face Cloud and smiled. "Why don't you come in for awhile? You look tired." she said, turning to Cid and poking him in the ribs to get him to second the invitation.

Cloud looked from Cid to Shera, wondering what Cid had been about to say. He decided he would find out later as Cid finally spoke.

"Oh alright. Why don't you come in?" Cid said reluctantly.

Cloud nodded, amused.

"What're you smiling at?!" Cid said when he saw the look on Cloud's face.

"...Nothing." he said, trying hard to keep from laughing.

"So stop smiling like there's something funny!!" Cid told him, a menacing look on his face.

Cloud sobered up and shrugged. He didn't want to get into a fight now; and besides, Cid wasn't going to let him borrow the airship if he was mad at him. Cid seemed to be placated by his attitude; but he was still grumbling like crazy as he turned around and went inside the house.

Cloud had started to follow when it dawned on him that Cid had decided to let his 'offense' go because of Shera. He was a little taken aback by it. Cid never bowed to anyone else's will; he followed only his own. But, because he loved Shera, he willingly lowered his pride for her...

_"I guess love really does change you..." _he thought to himself as he followed Cid into the house.

_**Midgar**_

****Vincent looked around the now unfamiliar place he'd once roamed as a Turk. Meteor had all but destroyed the city a few months ago, but people had already started to rebuild it. He knew that when it was finished, the new Midgar would be nothing like the old one; after all, this was the people's Midgar.

_"And besides, their new leader's nothing like Rufus of Shinra." _he thought. He entered the small district where he knew Reeve's temporary office would be and started looking around for it. He didn't have to look too far though; Reeve had just come out of his office, and Vincent started walking toward the man he'd initially known as Cait Sith.

He got to Reeve's side and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. Reeve jumped in surprise and turned, just in time to see Vincent's expression of sardonic amusement. "V-Vincent! Man, you scared me! How've you been?" Reeve asked, still visibly rattled.

"I've been fine." he answered.

"Good. We haven't seen you since you left Kalm all those months ago." Reeve said, questioning the other man with his eyes.

Vincent shrugged, not taking the hint.

Reeve decided to let it go. Vincent never told anyone about himself anyway. "So why're you here?" he asked, knowing Vincent wouldn't come to Midgar just to chat.

"I'm looking for Tifa." he answered plainly.

"Why are you looking for her?" he asked, an expression of surprise on his face.

"It's a favor for a good friend." he replied.

"Who?" Reeve asked.

"Since when have you made it a habit to start asking so many questions?" Vincent answered instead, ignoring the question.

Reeve sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just that it's so unlike you to do 'favors'. You're always so...cool and detached."

Vincent shrugged. "I guess it's just my nature."

Reeve sighed again. "Why don't we go into my office? It's hot out here."

Vincent merely nodded before following.

_**In Reeve's office...**_

****"So where have you been this past few months? Everyone's been worried about you, y'know." Reeve said, sitting down at his desk and motioning for Vincent to sit on one of the chairs adjacent to it.

Vincent chose to stand instead. "I've been everywhere by now. I never liked to stay in one place too long." he replied.

"I see. You're looking for Tifa, right?"

"...Yes."

"She's not here; not right now at least."

"Then where is she?"

"The last I heard, she was going to Wutai then Rocket Town. She isn't scheduled to be here until next week at least."

Vincent nodded, taking it all in. "She's already been to Wutai, and she isn't in Rocket Town...where could she be?"

"She could be anywhere – wait – have you checked Cosmo Canyon? What about Kalm?"

"No. I'll be heading to Kalm after I leave here, and my friend will check Cosmo Canyon."

"Okay...wait – where's your PHS?"

"...I lost it."

"What?! How are you supposed to communicate?!" Reeve asked, incredulous.

"I don't." he answered.

Reeve shook his head disapprovingly. "I'll let you borrow one of mine; you'll probably need it later." he said, grabbing one from his desk and handing it to Vincent.

"This thing is useless with me; my friend lost his too." Vincent said, trying to refuse.

"Then give this one to him when you see him." Reeve replied, grabbing another from his desk.

Vincent sighed, reluctantly accepting both. "I have to go now."

"Okay. Make sure Cloud gets the other one. Alright?"

Vincent turned around to face him. "How did you know?"

"Everyone else kept their PHS's so we could keep in touch with each other. We couldn't contact either of you; I figured you either lost or destroyed yours."

Vincent nodded, accepting what he said as fact. He then opened the door and stepped out, leaving a somewhat amused Reeve in his wake. The fact was that he _hadn't _known the other guy was Cloud; he'd taken a wild guess, hoping he was right. _"Man, it's about time." _

Everyone in the AVALANCHE gang knew at least some of Cloud and Tifa's history; and they all wanted them to get together. They had been through a lot already; and everyone knew they were in love...everyone, that is, but Cloud and Tifa. _"I just hope they find her soon. The suspense is killing me."_ he thought with a grin before going back to work.

**_Kalm, a few hours later_**

****Tifa woke up on a bed she didn't know; her body sore from the fatigue she'd suffered because of her haste. She turned her head and saw Marlene looking at her from the side of the bed. She was just starting to get up when she felt a sharp stab of pain in her back. "Ouch. "What happened to me?" she asked, wincing.

Marlene grinned. "You fainted."

"What?! I fainted?! When?! Where?! Why?!"

"You looked so worn out when you arrived here, and before papa and I could ask you to get some rest, you just...fainted. The reason your back hurts is because of the fall. You landed pretty hard." Marlene replied, still grinning.

Tifa looked at the child in horror, her face turning a deep red in embarrassment.

"So we're awake are we?" Barret said as he came into the room carrying a large glass of water.

"How long was I asleep?" Tifa asked as Barret handed the glass of water to her.

"A long time." Barret answered.

"How long?" she persisted.

"Almost two days."

"...I see."

"Well, I'll go prepare dinner." Barret said, standing.

"I'll help you." Tifa volunteered.

After dinner, Tifa went out to get some fresh air and Barret washed the dishes before going up and tucking Marlene in. Then he followed Tifa outside to chat. "Hey."

"Hey." Tifa replied.

"So why did you come early?" Barret asked.

"No reason." she answered uneasily.

"Come on, Tifa. I know you. You wouldn't have come here without warning and almost limp with exhaustion if it wasn't _something." _ he said, watching her face.

She sighed. "You're right. It _is _something – but I'm afraid you might think I'm crazy."

He saw pain flash across her features for a second – and only a second – before she masked it. "We have no secrets from each other, right? You're like a sister to me, Tifa. Whatever it is, I promise I'll listen – and I won't think you're crazy." he added.

"...I – I think Aeris might be coming back."

Barret's eyes widened. "Whaddya mean 'Aeris's comin' back? She's dead, Tifa. We all saw her die."

"I know. But I think Cloud's trying to bring her back."

"Huh? Why would he want to do that?"

"Because he still has feelings for her."

"Whaddya talkin' about? It's impossible to bring someone back from the dead – and besides, I don't think he thought of her that way."

"What do you mean?" she asked, hope lighting her face.

"Well, uh, you see..."he stammered.

Tifa put her hands on her hips and looked pointedly at Barret, curiosity evident in her expression. "You know something, don't you? Spill."

"She liked him a lot – that was pretty obvious – but he never treated her differently from the others." he replied. _"He didn't pay half as much attention to her – or anyone else – as much as he did you." _ he added silently.

"But he left for that damn 'journey' of his so suddenly – and without telling anyone himself..."

"Did you ever think that he went on that journey for another reason?" a voice asked.

"Who's there?!" Barret and Tifa asked in unison.

Vincent stepped out of the shadows and into the light, a weird expression on his face.

"Vincent!" Tifa shouted, surprised. "I'm so glad you're okay! We've been wondering where you were."

"He seemed surprised at her outburst; but he didn't say anything about it as she gave him a brotherly hug. "You didn't answer my question." he said when the hug was over.

"No...not really. I wanted to ask him these past few months, but he doesn't seem to have his PHS with him...and, I guess I was afraid to find out...so I hid." she said quietly, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

Vincent didn't know how to respond to that. He hadn't thought Tifa would be so open about her feelings. He looked over at Barret, hoping he could help.

Barret could see that Vincent didn't know how to deal with a distraught woman, but he didn't know how to either. "Why don't we go inside? It's gettin' cold out here." he said instead.

Vincent nodded, relieved.

Tifa nodded too and wiped her tears away before forcing a cheerful expression on her face for Vincent and Barret's benefit and following them to the house.

_**In the kitchen...**_

They sat chatting at the kitchen table for awhile, the two men ever conscious of the fact that Tifa was forcing herself to be cheerful. "...I'm going to go out for awhile." Vincent announced suddenly.

"I'll go with you." Tifa said.

"No...I won't stay out long; I just need to do something first." he said firmly.

"Well, okay, I guess. We'll wait for you here." she replied.

"Well then, I'm off." he said before stepping out the door and disappearing into the night.

_**Outside...**_

****Vincent took out the PHS Reeve had lent to him and dialed Cid's number; which Reeve had already programmed in. "I guess this thing really did come in handy." he thought, remembering Reeve's earlier comment.

_**Rocket Town**_

****Cid was watching TV with Cloud and Shera when his PHS rang. He picked it up and answered it, thinking it was Reeve calling. He was surprised to hear Vincent's voice instead.

"Hello? Cid?"

"Yeah. Vincent! Where are you, man?!"

Cloud perked up at hearing Vincent's name mentioned and listened intently.

"That doesn't matter right now; is Cloud there?" he asked from the other end.

"Yeah, he's here." Cid answered.

"Could you give the PHS to him?"

"Sure." Cid said, confused. "Yo, Cloud, it's for you."

Cloud got up from his seat and took the PHS from Cid. "Vincent?"

"Cloud. I've found her."

"Really?! Where are you? How is she?"

"I'm in Kalm. But, Cloud, she isn't doing too well right now. You have to come quickly."

"What's wrong with her?! Is she sick?!" Cloud asked, alarmed.

"You could say that. You could see for yourself when you come here."

"Alright. I'll leave right now."

"Okay." Vincent said, and then he hung up.

"Cid! I'm gonna need your airship." Cloud said, picking up his small bag of clothes.

"No way am I lettin' you fly my airship! I thought we agreed we wouldn't leave until morning! Why are you in such a rush anyway?"

"I need to go to Kalm _now_."

"Is Tifa there?" Cid asked.

"...Yes." Cloud replied, walking to the door. He would leave with or without Cid.

"Wait – I'll come with you. We can take the airship."

Cloud whirled around. "Thanks."

"Ok, let's go!" Cid said, kissing Shera good-bye before following Cloud out the door.

_**Back in Barret's kitchen**_

****Tifa stood up and walked to the door. "I'm gonna go check on Vincent." she said, heading out.

Barret nodded. He knew Tifa needed the fresh air to clear her head. Then he went up the stairs to the second floor to check on Marlene.

_**Outside...**_

_For You..._

****Tifa stepped out and felt the cool night air on her face. She looked around for Vincent, wondering where he'd gone.

She found him not far from the house, and as she started to approach him, she accidentally overheard his conversation.

"Cloud. I've found her." she heard him say. _"Cloud? He's talking to Cloud? Is he talking about me?"_

"I'm in Kalm. But, Cloud, she isn't doing too well right now. You have to come quickly."

_"Cloud's coming here?! He's...coming for **me**? Does that mean...?" _ Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Vincent say "okay" then hang up. She hid so Vincent wouldn't see her, but it was too late. He'd spotted her, and he was slowly walking toward her.

Vincent was surprised to find Tifa hiding in the shadows, and he wondered how much she'd overheard. "How much did you hear?" he asked.

"...Enough." she answered.

_"Great."_ he thought. He knew he would have to explain. He hadn't wanted to interfere; he had wanted Cloud to be the one to tell her.

"Why were you talking to Cloud?" she asked.

Vincent just looked at her, not saying anything.

"You know something, don't you? Please, tell me. Is it the reason for his journey?" she asked when he remained stubbornly silent. "Please, Vincent. Tell me _something. _**Anything**."

Vincent finally spoke. "I don't want to interfere, so I'll let Cloud tell you himself. I will tell you one thing though."

"What is it?" she asked, holding her breath.

"Cloud left on that journey for you."

a/n: whew! Chapter 4's done...it's the longest one yet! I'm sorry it took me so long to write this chapter...I hope you guys like it! Oh, and the PHS here are only mobile phones.

__


	6. Confessions

A/n: I'm so glad you guys liked the last chapter! Thank you!

tennyo13 – Thanks for the review!

CrAzY-Fan-Fic-Addict – I'm happy you liked the story. Thank you!

jisAtsU siLENcE – Thank you for reading and reviewing my fic!

Tifa246 – Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fic.

Chapter 5: Confessions

_Someone has changed me_

_Something saved me_

_And this is who I am_

_**Kalm**_

"_Cloud left on that journey for you." _Tifa was still reeling from the effect of those words.

She looked at Vincent who was walking ahead of her back to the house. He was really a very mysterious man, and she still couldn't understand why he had decided to help, but she was grateful he had.

"Vincent?"

He turned to face her when he heard his name called. "Yes?"

"Thank you." she said simply.

"You're welcome." he answered, turning around and continuing down the path to Barret's house.

Tifa's thoughts turned elsewhere then. _"I won't run this time."_ she vowed as she followed Vincent into the house. _"I'll wait for you, Cloud."_

_**Aboard the airship**_

"_Please wait for me, Tifa." _he asked her silently. _"This time I won't let you down…I'm not running away anymore. I will show you how I feel this time; I'll make sure you know how much I love you…"_

Cid looked over at Cloud, wondering what he was thinking. He had a distant look in his eyes, as if his thoughts had gone far, far away. "Yo, Cloud."

Cloud pulled himself from his thoughts and looked at Cid. "Yeah?"

"Why DID you go on that #$& trip anyway?"

Cloud was a bit surprised when he heard this, and he thought about the wisdom of telling Cid why, then he decided to just tell him the main reason. "I wanted to be forgiven."

"Forgiven for what?"

"For not being able to stop Sephiroth from killing Aeris."

"Guilt trip, huh?"

"…Yeah. You could say that."

"And did you get what you wanted?"

"…Yes."

Cid was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he said: "Y'know, that wasn't your fault."

"I know, but she was my friend; and I promised I'd protect her."

"You were all screwed up yourself back then; there was nothing you could do, really." Cid said bluntly.

"…I know. But I wanted to keep my promise." Cloud answered, not minding Cid's tone.

"So what's the deal with you and Tifa anyway? Cid asked, changing the subject.

"…Tifa and I have known each other since we were kids, Cid. It's a long story."

"Well, we've got a #$& long trip ahead, don't we?

"…It might be better to wait until after I see her."

"Fine. Just tell me one thing."

"What?" Cloud asked, already tired from the inquisition.

"Do you love her?"

"You're joking, right? You _can't _be asking me this!" Cloud said, yelling now.

"No, I'm not joking! And I _am_ asking you, so just gimme an answer and I'll stop bugging you! Cid yelled back.

"I can't tell you, Cid. It's a very private thing that only I know for sure – I don't want to say anything before I see her." Cloud said, reining in his raging temper.

"Fine." Cid answered.

The two men were quiet for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts.

Then Cloud remembered something. "Cid?"

"What?"

"Back in Rocket Town, when I first arrived at your house…you started to tell me something about Tifa before Shera stopped you. What was it?"

"…I told Shera I wouldn't say anything, but I guess you have a right to know, so…"

"So?" Cloud asked impatiently, wondering why Cid was hesitating so much.

Cid drew a breath then continued, saying: "Tifa's been worried about you. We were afraid she'd worry herself to death wondering if you were okay! Man, you really shouldn't have let that happen!"

Cloud lowered his eyes as pain lanced through him. Cid's words had just confirmed the one thing he had dreaded the most. He had hurt the one person he wanted most to protect – the one he least wanted to hurt. _"Tifa, I am so sorry…"_

Cid looked at the younger man, immediately regretting his words. He'd seen the look of pain in his eyes seconds before he averted them. "Listen, man, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that – but it was the truth…"

"It's okay, Cid." Cloud said, smiling.

Cid wasn't expecting that kind of reaction. "What're you smiling for now?"

"No reason. I'm just glad you're my friend."

Cid's jaw dropped. It was very unlike Cloud to be so calm. He switched over to auto-pilot and quickly touched Cloud's forehead. His temperature was perfectly normal. "Man, what's gotten into you?"

Cloud shrugged then stood up and stretched. "I'm gonna go up on deck for awhile. Call me before we land, ok?" he said, walking away.

"Sure." Cid answered. He wasn't certain, but it looked like he'd found a weak spot in the brave Cloud Strife's impenetrable armor…and that weak spot was a girl named Tifa.

_**On deck**_

All the rioting feelings he had desperately wanted to keep at bay were haunting him, consuming every other thought until he could think of nothing else. And Cid's earlier remark made his heart ache…it was all he could do at the time not to break down in front of the older man.

"_Tifa…"_ He could hardly wait to see her – to tell her what was in his heart, to tell her everything she wanted to know. He would never keep anything from her again – he would never hurt her again.

He looked up at the stars that glittered in the dark night sky, wondering what she would say when she saw him. Would she be happy? Or would she run away again? He didn't know; but he knew one thing for sure…he would follow her to the ends of the planet if he had to, just to see her smile again, just to hold her in his arms again…

These thoughts were interrupted by the booming sound of Cid's voice, yelling at him to get back to the bridge because they were going to land soon. Cloud had no choice but to comply.

_**Back on the bridge**_

"Hey kid, you nervous?" Cid asked.

Cloud didn't answer. He heard Cid grumble about something under his breath, but he wasn't interested in that at the moment. His attention was focused on something else in the distance; the town of Kalm. It wouldn't be too long now…

_**Kalm**_

The shy light of dawn was just beginning to illuminate the town when Cloud and Cid arrived. They were greeted by a very somber-looking Vincent who led them to Barret's house.

As soon as they arrived, Cloud looked around for Tifa, and when he didn't immediately see her, he asked Barret where she was.

"Tifa's in the garden with Marlene." Barret answered.

Cloud immediately turned in the direction of the small garden Aeris' mother had helped Marlene plant before she passed away.

_**In the garden**_

As soon as Cloud got to the garden he spotted Tifa who was kneeling on the ground with Marlene, busily planting new seeds in the flourishing flower bed. "Tifa?" he called.

She turned around but stayed where she was, and then she simply looked at him without saying a word.

He hesitated, not sure what to do.

Tifa whispered something to Marlene, and the little girl got up and started walking over to him.

Cloud was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice that Marlene was standing in front of him until she tugged on his arm and gave him a welcome hug before she went on her way.

They were alone at last.

He started to walk toward her, but her words stopped him.

"Cloud, Vincent told me you left on that journey for me…" Tifa said, hesitating.

"…It's true. I did go on that journey for you." he replied softly.

"Why? Why did you go on that journey?"

"Because I wanted to be forgiven…"

"Forgiven for what, Cloud? For Aeris' death?" Tifa asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

"…Yes." he replied, his heart breaking at the sight of her tears.

"Why would you want to be forgiven, Cloud? You know it wasn't your fault."

"I know."

"Then why did you go? Why couldn't you stay?!"

"Because I had to go on that journey, Tifa. I couldn't move on with my life until I knew I was over not being able to help her…I had to…be free of that guilt…so I could be worthy…of you." he said, his voice shaking.

She looked at him, at the man she loved, and she finally _saw._ She saw just how much he cared, and how hard he had journeyed…for her. And suddenly she couldn't hold back the tears of joy and relief any longer. She let them fall like a river down her cheeks, and she ran to him and into his waiting arms. "You were never unworthy." she whispered.

He held her closer to his rapidly beating heart, not saying anything, overjoyed at being so close to her, at the feeling of finally holding her in his arms like this. He pulled away slightly, and, looking deeply into her eyes, told her what was in his heart. "I love you, Tifa."

She looked up at him and, smiling, said the words he so longed to hear. "I love you, too."

They held each other close for a long time, and they could've stayed like that forever…but the world around them intruded.

"Yo Cloud, Tifa! It's time to eat!!" Barret yelled.

Cloud and Tifa sighed in unison, reluctantly pulling away from each other and starting towards the door.

Tifa walked ahead of him, and, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do, he caught up to her and took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back and, caught up in the moment, leaned forward and kissed her. It was the most amazing feeling; and he couldn't seem to make himself stop long enough to think. She was the same way, so they stayed like that for awhile, oblivious to the fact that they had reached the house and that they had an audience.

Cid's shrill whistle woke them up however, and they both blushed profusely when they saw that everyone was watching them, save for Marlene whose eyes were covered by her father's large hand.

"Uh…h-hey guys…" Cloud said, his face still beet red.

Everyone laughed. Their faces reddened some more.

Barret finally took his hand from over Marlene's eyes, and, as soon as he did, she looked at her Aunt Tifa and Uncle Cloud whose faces were still red as fire. "Papa, why are Aunt Tifa and Uncle Cloud's faces so red?" she asked.

"Well, uh, you see, they, um, stayed out in the garden too long, and it was so hot out that their faces got red like that." Barret answered, barely able to keep from laughing.

"But it's still really early, Papa. The sun's not really up yet, see?" she said, pointing to the window where they could see that the sun was still just starting its ascent in the sky.

Cid started to laugh, then Cloud and Tifa, relieved at having the spotlight taken off them, joined in, much to Barret's chagrin. "H-hey! A little help here?" he said helplessly.

The room was once again filled with the sound of laughter; but this time, even Vincent joined in.

"Papa, why are they laughing?" Marlene asked, confused.

"I-it's nothing, honey." her father replied, glaring at the others over the child's head to get them to stop laughing.

They stopped, but then Marlene spoke again. "Why are you glaring at your friends, Papa?"

Barret immediately smoothed his face into what he hoped was a serene expression; but it looked so out of place on him that it got everyone laughing again.

As soon as the laughter stopped again, Tifa suggested they have breakfast, earning her a look of gratitude from Barret.

Tifa was just starting to walk to the breakfast table when Cloud reached out and stopped her. She turned to him, waiting for him to say something.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"No, not really…why?"

"Let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?" she asked, curious.

"To the beach." he replied cryptically.

He led her away from the dining room and out the front door, quietly closing it behind them.

_**At the beach**_

Cloud let go of Tifa's hand and walked to the shore, staring at the distant horizon, as if he were thinking of something that was far, far away…but he wasn't. He was thinking of the woman who was standing not far from where he stood, thinking of the reason why… "Why did you run, Tifa?" he asked abruptly. "Why did you run from me?"

She wasn't surprised to hear that question. She had expected him to ask it, but she still didn't know how to respond, and it was a long time before she spoke. But when she did, her voice was calm. "I know that what I'm going to say will sound crazy to you, and I know I hurt you because of what I did…I'm sorry…and I-"

She hesitated.

He turned away from the sea, walked back to her side and simply waited for her to go on, his heart racing.

She took a deep breath, and then continued, saying: "…I ran…because I was scared, Cloud. I was afraid you would bring her back…bring Aeris…back…"

He took a step toward her, but he kept his arms at his sides. "Aeris was a good person, Tifa, and it's true that I cared for her…"

Tifa took a step backward, almost like she was shielding herself from his words, and she tried to hold back the tears, but it was no use. The tears fell, and she tried to run away, but he stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Just listen for a second, okay?"

"Let go of me!" she told him, the tears flowing in a seemingly endless flow now.

"Please, Tifa, let me finish!" he said, taking her into his arms and holding her tight.

Realizing then that he wasn't going to let her go until he'd said what he had to say, she stopped struggling and lowered her arms, her eyes downcast.

"…I cared for her in the same way I care for everyone else. She was as much my friend as she was yours, Tifa."

She was surprised Cloud was telling her all this. He had never talked about his feelings so openly before, and she knew that what he was telling her was the truth, but she couldn't seem to find her voice, so she just stood there and listened to him.

"…I cared for her, but I didn't love her. To tell you the truth, I couldn't love her."

She finally found her voice, and it was filled with love and renewed hope. "Why?"

He took her chin in his hand and whispered, "Because I was in love with someone else."

"Who?" she asked innocently.

"You." he said, sealing his words with a warm, passionate kiss.

_**Meanwhile, in another part of town…**_

Back inside the house, the others had just noticed their absence.

"Yo, where're Cloud and Tifa?" Cid asked.

"I dunno." Barret said.

Having nothing else to go on, they turned to Vincent who just shrugged.

"Where could those two have gone?" Barret wondered aloud.

"Hell if I know." Cid said.

"Ah they're probably out somewhere. Let's just leave 'em be." Barret said awhile later.

"Yeah." Cid answered. Then he noticed something else.

"Hey, where's Vincent?"

"Dunno. He's probably gone out, too."

"So it's just the two of us in here."

"Yeah…hey, listen, I'm gonna go up and get some sleep. You mind?" Cid asked.

"No, that's ok. But you're sleeping down here." Barret answered.

"What?! Why?"

"Because there's no room left up there."

"Fine." Cid said, making himself at home on the living room couch.

_**Somewhere else…**_

Vincent watched the couple from his spot high above the beach. He could see from the way they held each other that everything was settled between them, and he was glad for it. No one deserved to be happy as much as they did…

He thought again of his own love, of the woman who was Sephiroth's mother, and looked down at his hands. "I have committed another sin against you, Lucrecia. But I do not regret destroying him, for if I hadn't, he would have destroyed the world…" he whispered to the wind, hoping that by some miracle she could hear his words and forgive him…wherever she was.

He looked down the beach at Cloud and Tifa and smiled softly. "Take care of each other." he whispered, turning and walking away.

_**Back at the house**_

Just as Barret was starting up the stairs to check on Marlene, his PHS rang.

He walked over to the desk and picked it up. "Hello?"

It was Red XIII. "Barret, we have a problem."

"What is it?"

"Sephiroth's back, and it seems he has Lucrecia…"

"What?!!"

"It's true; and it gets worse."

"How much worse?!"

"Much worse. Barret, it looks like she's helping him…"

"But why would she do that?"

"He is still her son."

"You're right, but…"

"Anyway, can you come to Cosmo Canyon?"

"Yeah. Everyone's here except for Yuffie. We can pick her up at Wutai before we go there."

"That would be best; we need all the help we can get. Please hurry, Barret. Sephiroth grows stronger with each moment."

"I know. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Okay then." Red XIII said, then he hung up.

Just then Cid, who couldn't sleep on the lumpy couch walked in and when he saw Barret's pale face, asked him what happened. "We're in deep #$&, Cid."

"Why?"

"Sephiroth's back, and this time, Lucrecia is helping him."

Cid's jaw dropped. "No…way…"

They heard the door slam shut, and they turned to see Vincent standing there.

"Did I hear you right? Sephiroth…is back?" Vincent inquired of Barret, his voice calm as usual.

"…Yeah." Barret replied.

"Then I will help you."

"Are you sure? We may have to fight Lucrecia too, you know."

"…Yes, I know. But perhaps this is the only way I can truly atone for my sins."

"By fighting her?!" Cid exclaimed.

"Yes, if that is what it takes. It is time to end this madness."

"Alright then, if you're sure…" Barret said.

"I am."

_**At the beach (AGAIN)**_

She was lying on the soft sand with her head on his chest; and he had his arms around her as they watched the sun rise slowly up the horizon, each of them thinking their own thoughts, the only sound coming from the waves as they came and went.

Then, a few minutes later, Tifa's stomach growled. In the silence, it was very audible. Cloud looked at her and laughed.

She blushed. "I guess I was hungry after all…"

He grinned. "Well, we'll just have to get you something to eat, won't we?"

She nodded, a slight blush still visible on her cheeks as she sat up beside him.

He thought she had never looked more beautiful. "Let's go." he said, standing.

He helped her up. She thought it was unnecessary, but it was a sweet gesture, so she smiled and thanked him.

As they walked back to town, they were met by Cid, Barret and Vincent who all looked like they had just lost their best friends.

"Hey, guys." Tifa said.

"Uh…guys? Is there something wrong?" Cloud asked when none of them responded.

Tifa waved her hand in front of Barret's face. "Barret? Are you okay?"

She looked at Cloud.

He shrugged.

Barret finally found his voice and spoke. "I'm sorry. I know you guys are enjoying yourselves, but, uh, we have something important to tell you."

"What is it?" Cloud asked.

Before Barret could answer, Vincent spoke up. "Sephiroth has returned."

Tifa gasped.

Cloud's expression turned stormy. "And? There's more, isn't there?"

"Yes." Vincent answered in a controlled voice.

"What is it?" Tifa asked, suddenly afraid.

"Lucrecia is with him…and she's helping him."

a/n: chapter 5's done! Yay! I hope you guys like it. Tell me what you think, okay? Thanks.


	7. Calm Before The Storm

a/n: The lines from the song below apply to two men; Cloud and Vincent. I'll let you guys decide for yourselves which lines refer to who. - I'm so sorry for the late review…smacks head I was just so tired with all the school work (stupid, stupid school work!) that I couldn't think long enough to actually start typing (oops, I'm rambling…sorry.) as always, rr please!

Tifa246 – He's back alright; he's just such a great bad guy Oh, and about Lucrecia…well, there's a little plot twist there, but I won't spoil it for you by telling you what it is. Anyway thanks for reviewing! Enjoy!

K14princess-ROCK – I'm sorry it wasn't very good for you, I promise I'll try to make it a little better. And about your request…there's a little of that here… thanks for the review!

spikestrife – that's ok, GTA does that to you. It's pretty addictive, isn't it? anyway, thanks so much for the review I really appreciate it. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned below.

Chapter 6: Calm Before The Storm

_Although I was blinded_

_My heart let me find it_

_A truth makes a better man…_

_I didn't notice that you were right in front of me_

_A mask of silence we'll now put away _

_So we can see…_

_**Kalm**_

****"Lucrecia is with him…and she's helping him."

Vincent saw Cloud clench his fists, watching quietly as his knuckles turned white. He had known that the other man would be troubled by the news of Sephiroth's return, but he hadn't known how he would react. He didn't feel it was his place to ask him about that, so he kept quiet and watched as Tifa finally got over the initial shock the news had delivered and noticed that her boyfriend wasn't taking the news well at all.

Tifa took a step closer to Cloud and touched his arm. "Cloud? Are you alright?"

He turned to her but didn't answer, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

With a worried look on her face, Tifa moved to stand in front of him before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, trying to snap him out of his stupor.

It worked.

Cloud's eyes finally started to focus, and that was when he noticed that the others were staring at him with concern on their faces. Then, deciding to try to deal with the latest bit of unpleasant news by himself, he started to walk off towards a random place, determined to find a solution to it in his mind, leaving his friends to simply stare at his quickly retreating form.

"I think you should go after him." Barret suggested gently, coming up beside Tifa.

She turned to him. "Okay." Then she turned to face Cid. "When are we leaving?"

"We leave as soon as the airship is ready, which is in a few hours at least; one of the engines needs work." Cid answered.

"Okay then. I'll come back to check on you guys later." she said, turning and walking away in the direction Cloud had gone.

**_Barret's house_**

Cloud stood in front of the second floor window, watching the residents of the small village go about their usual business, completely unaware of the new threat they now faced. _"Sometimes I wish I could be like them…"_

"What're you thinking about?"

He turned to see his girlfriend walking over to him with a smile on her face. _"…But then I remember the good things in my life…" _He couldn't help but smile back. "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh, really now?" she said, smirking.

"Really." he answered. _"It's true…for the most part anyway."_

She looked strangely at him for a moment, and then she looked away. "It's always healthy to think about me."

It took a while for her meaning to hit him, but when it did, he laughed. _"It feels so good to laugh…I feel like I haven't laughed like this in years."_

She laughed, too, but then she sobered up and said: "But…what were you _really _thinking about?"

She turned to face him. "Cloud?"

Cloud stared hard at her for a moment before he went back to observing the activities below them. "I was thinking how easy it is to be so clueless. For a moment, just a moment, I wanted to be like them…"

Tifa wasn't surprised to hear that. She knew that, at one time or another, all of them had wanted to have a different life, but there were some things that were harder to give up than most. "I do, too, sometimes."

He looked at her. "I guess we all do sometimes…but then I remember that I have you."

She smiled. "Thanks, Cloud."

"You don't have to thank me. It's the truth. I wanted you to know that."

It sounded a lot like good-bye to her. "You talk like I'm never going to see you again."

He smiled softly, pulling her close and hugging her for a minute before he pulled away. Then he whispered, "Don't worry, you will." before he walked back into the house, leaving her on her own again.

This time, she didn't follow.

**_Airship, a few hours later_**

He stood alone, his expression blank, his eyes looking out at the setting sun. It had taken them hours to prepare the airship for flight earlier, and he was glad they didn't need to do the same when they got to Wutai. He had never before felt such strife inside him. Vincent Valentine was, for the second time in his life, unsure of himself.

The feeling was different from when they had fought Sephiroth for the first time, because Lucrecia hadn't been involved then. He was once again forced to face his past, to re-examine his long-buried feelings.

He knew he'd loved her once, but now he was going to be forced to fight her – because he wouldn't let anyone else do it. He had to be the one to fight her; because there was still a chance to bring her back – there had to be. He still cared for her enough to want to at least save her; he knew only that much now.

"Hey, Vincent."

He turned at the sound of the voice. "Yes?"

"If you could make all this go away, would you?"

"Of course I would, but, like you, I have no choice but to accept what's happening."

"Yeah, I guess. Will you be okay, though? I mean, we might have to fight Lucrecia…"

"I think so. But you won't fight her; I will."

"What do you mean? You want to fight her alone!"

"Yes."

"I guess I can understand that; to tell you the truth, I don't want to fight her…it's just…I – I wish you didn't have to fight her either…" Tifa said, her voice tinged with sadness.

"I know. To be honest, I don't want to fight her either…I loved her…but if fighting her is the only way to save her, then…"

"I know you don't; no one in their right mind would. But I believe in you, Vincent. If anyone can save her, you can."

"Thank you, Tifa. Let's hope you're right."

She smiled. "It'll be fine, you'll see."

Vincent looked around and noticed something was amiss. "Where's Cloud?"

Tifa's smile vanished instantly. "He's asleep."

He looked at her questioningly, but she quickly averted her eyes. He walked closer to her and made her face him. "What's up? Did you two have a fight?"

She shook her head.

"So what happened? You don't look so good."

"…Nothing. I – I'm fine." she said, smiling.

He looked at her intently. He knew something was up; it was obvious that Tifa's smile was forced. He was just about to press her to tell him what was wrong when he was interrupted by Cid's voice.

"Yo, everyone get back to the bridge right now! We're going to land!" Cid yelled.

"Let's go." Tifa said.

Vincent nodded, deciding to let her and Cloud handle whatever problem they had; he had his own problems to worry about.

_**Wutai**_

****Yuffie watched the airship descend with a heavy heart. She knew they were all there; and she was glad she would get the chance to see them again, but _he_ would be there as well, and she didn't know how to act. She had been learning to let go of her feelings for him, but seeing him again so soon was a little too much.

When Tifa had called to tell her they would be picking her up in the airship, she'd been thrilled. But then she remembered that Cloud would be there, and that meant she would have to watch him from a distance; like she always had, and that took all the excitement away.

She did try to act cheerful for Tifa's sake, and she was sure the other girl hadn't noticed her melancholy state.

She watched the airship land, and she couldn't help but smile as Tifa came bounding out to greet her. "Hey, Yuffie." Tifa said, giving her a hug.

"Hey." she answered, still smiling in spite of herself.

"How have you been? Out of mischief, I hope." Tifa remarked jokingly.

"Of course! I'm the great ninja Yuffie; I never get into mischief!"

"Yeah, right. You being out of mischief is like the sun rising in the west." a voice said from behind Tifa.

She recognized that voice. It was Cloud's. Her hands were suddenly clammy, her heart was hammering wildly in her chest, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. She hated the feeling, and it only got worse as he materialized beside Tifa and casually put his arm around her waist.

Yuffie's heart plummeted to even lower levels, but, desperate to hide the pain and jealousy she felt, she pretended to get angry. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

He seemed surprised at her reaction; then annoyed. "Jeez, Yuffie, calm down, will you? It was only a joke."

"He's right, Yuffie…" Tifa said, walking over to her and putting her hands on her shoulders. "Is something wrong? You seem tense all of a sudden…"

Being face to face with one of her closest friends, looking into her eyes and seeing the genuine concern in them, she couldn't hold on to her pretend anger. "I'm sorry. I – I'm just a little out of it, I guess."

Tifa's expression changed from that of concern to what Yuffie thought looked like relief as she said in her usual, cheerful voice, that they should get going.

Yuffie nodded and followed them to the airship, watching quietly as Cloud took Tifa's hand in his and led the way.

_**Aboard the airship, minutes later**_

****Yuffie sat in her little corner in the airship's hold, wondering why everyone had decided to meet so abruptly. She had tried to ask Tifa about it, but her friend had just smiled and told her that Red XIII would explain everything later before walking away, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

"_I wonder what's up… it's not like her to be so vague…" _she thought, looking up in time to see Cloud pass by her on his way to the ship's deck, his strides long and hurried. _"What's up with him? He looked fine a couple of minutes ago…"_

She stood up to follow him, but she stopped when she saw Tifa follow him with a worried look on her face. _"Something's definitely up…" _

_**On Deck**_

Night was slowly falling as he stood on deck, reliving a nightmare he wanted nothing more than to forget. The vision of Sephiroth's sword going through Aeris' body kept repeating itself in his mind, and he felt that same helplessness growing inside him, making him doubt himself more and more…

He had someone he wanted more than anything in the world to protect now, someone he loved, but he wasn't sure he could now, and that scared the hell out of him. "_I cannot lose her…if I do…" _He couldn't stomach even just the mere thought of it.

As if the thought of her had conjured up the real person, she appeared beside him like some sort of a mirage, and seeing her in the state he was in at that moment made him relive yet another nightmare in his mind; the one of her lying in his arms, unconscious after Sephiroth attacked her…

He shook his head vigorously, trying to get the unwelcome image out of it. He had wanted nothing more than to forget; to move on, but it seemed fate wasn't going to let that happen. His ultimate enemy's unexpected – and unwelcome – reappearance was proof of that.

" _Sephiroth is going down. This time, I'll make sure he doesn't come back; I don't care what it takes. For our sake." _He turned to her, quietly looking at her profile which was highlighted by the moonlight. He suddenly felt the overwhelming need to keep her safe – and by his side – forever. He moved closer to Tifa. "Hey." he said, smiling again.

"Hey." she replied, smiling back.

His smile faded as he reached for her hand, holding it in both of his. She looked up at him, wondering why he was so somber. _"What is going on in that head of yours, Cloud? Why won't you tell me…?"_

He saw the expression on her face and decided to tell her what had been bothering him. _"I did promise to not keep secrets from her…" _ "Tifa…you know I love you, right?"

The question surprised her, but she nodded anyway.

He smiled slightly. He knew he'd stunned her with that statement. "So you know I'll always protect you, right? I'll always be there for you, Tifa."

She smiled, but it was a sad smile. "I'll always be there for you, too…"

Cloud knew she was upset, so he pulled her close and hugged her. Then he took a deep breath and started to speak. "When I found you in Kalm, I was so happy…I thought for sure nothing was going to ruin that happiness. I was wrong. A lot of things changed – and none of them were for the better. But I still want to be with you – no matter what happens, and that's why I want to protect you…" He hesitated.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying I'm not sure I can."

Tifa pulled away from him, her eyes flashing with anger. "You can."

His eyes widened. _"Why does she look so angry all of a sudden?" _

"You can because you've done it once before; you saved all of us, we saved the Planet together, Cloud."

"I know that, but -"

"But nothing. I know you still feel guilty about Aeris' death, but not even you can save everyone, damn it! She was my friend too, and I didn't want her to die, but all I could do was watch Sephiroth kill her!" She stopped as she felt Cloud pull her close to him again, but she had to let it all out now, so she continued. "Don't you see? I couldn't help her, either. I was there! I could've done something, but I failed her, too…" she said, her voice cracking as the tears finally fell.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know…" he said hesitantly. He hadn't known exactly what Tifa's feelings about Aeris' death were before, but he knew now. She felt the same way he did.

"You don't have to apologize to me." She placed her hand against his cheek, whispering: "I believe in you. I trust you. We all do. You're not alone anymore, Cloud. We're all with you; we'll defeat Sephiroth together, just like before."

He smiled, her words banishing whatever doubt was left in his mind. It was strange how she could do that. "Thank you." he said, slowly leaning down until his lips were only inches from hers. He closed his eyes…and then he heard a loud bang which made them jump apart.

"What the hell was that!" he exclaimed, irritated.

"S-sorry!" It was Yuffie's voice.

Cloud's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Just what are you doing here!"

"U-um…you see, it was, um…"

"Out with it, Yuffie."

They heard a muffled laugh somewhere behind her, and as Cloud leaned down to get a closer look, he saw part of Vincent's red cape pinned under one of Yuffie's feet. "Vincent!"

Tifa smiled mischievously. "Oh, now I get it."

"Get what?" Yuffie asked nervously. Tifa's smile was giving her the creeps.

"Is there something you want to tell us?" Tifa asked, smirking.

"W-what? Oh you mean ? N-no! It's not like that! I was worried about you guys and…" she trailed off, noticing the expressions on Cloud and Tifa's faces.

"Oh, so you were spying on us again, weren't you?" Cloud asked, barely able to keep himself from laughing. The look on Yuffie's face was cracking him up; she looked totally freaked out.

"No! I didn't mean to -" She stopped talking abruptly, remembering that she wasn't the only one involved. She grabbed the part of Vincent's cape that was pinned by her foot and pulled as hard as she could, taking him by surprise. He ended up sprawled on the ground, half of his body on top of her, his face a few inches from hers.

Vincent was stunned. He had never been this close to Yuffie before, and it really surprised him that he actually thought she was beautiful. He blinked a couple of times, trying to get his thoughts organized. She seemed to have taken away his ability to think.

Yuffie was just as surprised. Vincent was looking at her in a way that made her feel all warm inside. She didn't know why, she just knew she liked the feeling. Then they heard someone laugh. They turned, and they were horrified to see that most of their friends were there, watching them with alternating expressions of mischief and hilarity.

Barret spoke first. "So that's what this is about. Man, Vincent, couldn't you have waited until you could get to somewhere more private? I thought the airship was falling apart; that was just noisy."

"Yeah. And here I thought you guys couldn't get along." Cloud said, smirking.

Vincent just stared blankly at them, not saying anything. Yuffie, on the other hand, was saying a lot of things.

"What! It's not what you think!" she said, the vivid blush on her cheeks betraying her words.

"Oh? It sure looks different from here." Tifa said, trying to maintain a serious expression but failing miserably.

"Aw, not you too!" Yuffie exclaimed, frustrated that no one would listen. She turned to face Vincent, and she quickly realized what kind of mess she was in. "Vincent? Could you get off of me now? Please?" she added when he didn't seem to hear her. _"What is wrong with this guy?"_ she thought, looking at Vincent's blank expression. She waved her hand in front of his face, making him snap out if it.

"What?" he asked, not quite understanding. _"Man, how could this girl rob me of my thoughts so completely?"_

Yuffie was mad now. " I said, GET OFF OF ME!"

That he understood, and he stood up quickly, holding out his hand to help her up. She didn't take it.

"So what's this about?" Cid asked, walking up on deck.

All eyes turned to Yuffie and Vincent, making them extremely uncomfortable. "Well, you see, I, um, was worried about Tifa so I decided to follow her here in case she needed help, and -" she stopped, remembering how she'd gotten into this predicament in the first place.

flashback

A few minutes after she'd seen Tifa walk by her, she stood up and started making her way up to the deck to see for herself what was going on. _"Something's up with those two, and I'm gonna find out what."_

She crept up the stairs that led to the deck, carefully inching her way to a hiding place where she knew she wouldn't be spotted. Once she got there, she started listening in. Cloud and Tifa seemed to be having a heated argument, but she didn't know what – then she heard Aeris' name mentioned. "I know you still feel guilty about Aeris' death, but not even you can save everyone, damn it! She was my friend too, and I didn't want her to die, but all I could do was watch Sephiroth kill her!" she heard Tifa say.

_"So that's what they're arguing about…"_ She leaned forward a little, careful not to fall out of her hiding place and making sure she was still well-hidden.

That was when it happened.

"Don't you think you should give them a little privacy?" a voice asked.

"What the !" Yuffie turned to see Vincent's face just inches from hers, making her lose her balance. That was when she fell, managing to grab hold of his cape as she did.

"And?" Cid prompted.

"Wha ?" Yuffie asked absently.

"And then what happened?" Cid repeated, looking at her queerly.

"And I fell…"

"That's it? Would you mind explaining _why _you fell? I thought someone had gotten hurt!"

"It was my fault." Vincent said quietly.

Everyone turned to him. "I surprised her. That's why she fell." he continued in that same quiet voice.

"I managed to grab on to his cape as I fell." Yuffie said.

He nodded. "That's right."

Everyone was quiet for a minute.

"Okay…well, everything's fine now, right? Can I, uh, go back to the hold now? I feel sick…"Yuffie said, looking a little disoriented.

The others took pity on her and decided to let her off the hook for her antics.

"Okay…hey, you okay!" Tifa asked anxiously when Yuffie lost her footing near the stairs.

"Whoa." Yuffie said, her voice barely audible. "That was close."

Tifa walked over to her friend. "I think you'd better go to one of the cabins instead. You look like you need the rest."

"Yeah…maybe I will…"

"Okay. Let's go." Tifa said, preparing to assist Yuffie.

"Let me take her." Vincent asked quietly.

"Huh…uh, okay I guess…" she answered, a little confused.

She moved away from the other girl and watched, bewildered, as Vincent took a very tired-looking Yuffie into his arms and carried her down the steps and out of sight. _"What's going on here…? Those two…"_

"Is it just me or did that feel weird to you?" Cloud asked, walking up to her.

She turned to him. "Yeah…that felt a little weird too…but maybe…" She grinned evilly.

Now it was Cloud's turn to look confused. "What?"

Tifa smiled sweetly. "I think something's up with those two."

"And?"

"You want to get revenge for Yuffie's eavesdropping, right?"

"Yeah…" Cloud grinned. "You have a plan?"

"Of course." she replied.

"Then let's get going." he said, taking her hand in his.

They disappeared down the steps soon after.

"Why are we always the ones left behind?" Cid asked Barret, his usual annoyed expression plastered on his face.

"I dunno."

They were quiet for a minute.

"Hey, you sure Marlene's gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. I left her with a friend back in Kalm."

"If you think so, then…Hey, where's Reeve?"

"He'll be joining us at Cosmo Canyon. He has his own ship now."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot he was president of Shinra."

"Yeah. Despite the losses due to Meteor, Shinra's still got a lot of funds."

Barret yawned. "I'm gonna go get some sleep."

Cid looked at him. "Lucky you."

Barret smirked. "Yeah. Lucky me." he said, turning and walking down the steps.

"Might as well get back to the bridge, seeing as I'M THE ONLY ONE LEFT HERE!" Cid yelled, making sure Barret heard. And, judging from the loud guffaw he heard from below deck, he'd achieved his goal.

"_These guys drive me nuts sometimes…"_

He smiled. _"But they are a lot of fun to be around." _With that thought, he went below deck and returned to piloting the airship as it made its way to Cosmo Canyon and an as yet uncertain future…

A/n: Chapter 6 done! Yay! Man, it took me weeks and weeks and weeks…(uh, I'll stop now.) to get this done…it really felt like I never would…all that dumb school work…(okay, I'll stop now…wait, didn't I just say that?) sweatdrops Sorry. I think I'm getting a little carried away here… Anyway, please read and review! (so sorry if it's not so good…it's just there are so many ideas and the ending's already done in my head…I can't think straight…Oops, sorry again. Oh, and one last thing. You know Cloud and Tifa's 'plan'? It'll be revealed in the next chapter since this one's starting to get too long for me. Anyway, tell me what you guys think, k? Thanks!


	8. Uncertainty

A/n: Hey guys sorry for the late update! Finals week is coming up; feeling a little shaky on that, so. Sorry if I'm babbling. I don't know why but I'm always tired this week…oops, sorry. Now for the disclaimer. (This has been the same from the first chapter…you guys think I should change it? It's kinda boring, right? Anyway, I'll type the same thing and I'll see what you guys have to say about it later. Peace! Oh, and does anyone know when Advent Children's release date is? Thanks.

Now for the thank yous:

spikestrife: Sorry 'bout that. No worries, though. Cloud's with Tifa; I wouldn't have it any other way either. She's gonna end up with someone else…you know who And…is Vincent really a vampire?

Shayna Sedai: Your wish granted. Hehe

jisAtsU siLENcE: That's ok, as long as you're back! Hehe thanks for the review! Oh, and there're a lot of interactions between the couples here (ok, the whole chapter can pretty much be summed up by their conversations…) though technically Vincent and Yuffie aren't together yet, but they will be! Till next time!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned below.

_I'm there for you, No matter what _

_I'm there for you, Never giving up_

_I'm there for you_

_For You…_

Chapter 7 – Uncertainty

_**Airship, cabin**_

Vincent watched as Yuffie slept, seemingly exhausted after her battle with airsickness and something else he couldn't identify. _"She looks like an angel when she's asleep…but when she's awake…" _He chuckled softly. _"She's a real handful." _

As he watched, Yuffie stirred, slowly opening her eyes and looking around her at the vaguely familiar room, confusion evident in her expression.

"Good evening."

She jumped, getting halfway across the room before she realized there was no danger. "Vincent! W-what're you doing here?"

"Watching over you."

She felt her face heat up in a blush immediately after hearing that statement, and she was suddenly glad the darkness inside the room concealed it from him. "Why?"

"You were tired, so I brought you here." he replied calmly.

"But I thought Tifa was the one who helped me…"

Flashback

"I think you'd better go to one of the cabins instead. You look like you need the rest." Tifa said.

"Yeah…maybe I will…"

End of flashback

Yuffie didn't remember anything that happened after that. _"I must've passed out…"_

"Um, Vincent?"

"Yes?"

"Uh…how did I get here?"

"I brought you here."

"You…brought me here?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?" he asked, a little confused. _"I just told her I was the one who brought her here…"_

"N-no…it's just…I don't remember much…"

"Don't worry about it. You were probably just tired."

"I guess…"

They heard a soft knock on the door. "Hey…can I come in?"

It was Tifa.

"Sure." Vincent answered.

Tifa poked her head into the room. "You guys okay in here?"

"Yes." Vincent replied.

She looked over at Yuffie. "Yuffie? How about you?"

"I-I'm fine. Thanks."

Tifa smiled. "Okay. I… Cloud!" she exclaimed as he poked his head into the room next to hers.

"Hi honey." he said, smiling at a somewhat surprised Tifa before going into the room and starting a conversation with the others.

Tifa smiled to herself as she watched Cloud converse with Vincent, suddenly feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. _"He called me 'honey'…"_ It was silly, she knew, but she didn't care.

Cloud turned to her. "Tifa?" he said, noting the ridiculously wide smile on her face.

Hearing her name mentioned, Tifa turned to him, but she was still in her own little world. "Hmmm?"

"Are you okay?" Cloud asked, wondering why she seemed so out of it.

"You called me 'honey'…" she said, that same smile on her face.

Cloud looked startled. "I…guess I did…"

She smiled, jumping up and wrapping her arms around him in a spontaneous hug.

He grinned, resting his cheek against her soft raven hair. "Heh…I guess I should call you that more often…"

She laughed, resting her head on his chest contentedly, forgetting for the moment that they were not alone.

Yuffie watched as Cloud and Tifa held each other close, lost in their own little world.

The scene before her should have caused her pain, but…it didn't. _"Were my feelings for him so shallow? Did I ever even have those feelings?" _She looked over at a very quiet Vincent. _"Or…did I develop feelings…somehow deeper…feelings for someone else without realizing it? Is that even remotely possible?" _ She frowned, her thoughts taking all her attention and making her oblivious to everything else…everything…but _him_.

After watching the couple for a while, Vincent finally realized that he was intruding. He turned to leave…then he stopped, remembering that Yuffie was in the room as well. He looked at her, and he was a bit troubled to see the fierce frown on her face.

She glanced at him again, surprised to see his eyes on her as well. _"I…don't understand…"_

He saw the confusion in her eyes…the frustration. She seemed to have a battle raging inside her, a battle about something he didn't know about or comprehend…but he wanted to know; he wanted to help her through it. He didn't fully understand why himself, but something within him told him to stop thinking and start doing.

Yuffie watched as Vincent started walking toward her, an unreadable expression on his face.

Vincent reached her side and held out his hand. "Come on, let's go."

She slowly, hesitantly, put her hand in his and let him help her up, then she looked into his eyes…mysterious, calm, beautiful… "Where are we going?"

"It doesn't matter. We need to leave those two alone for awhile." he answered, tilting his head in Cloud and Tifa's direction.

"Okay…" she said, letting him lead her out of the room. It was then that she realized he hadn't let go of her hand…

_**On deck **(I use this location a lot, don't I?)_

Vincent led Yuffie away from the cabin where Cloud and Tifa were, his mind assaulted by what felt like a thousand different thoughts at the same time, not paying attention to where he was going until Yuffie finally stopped, wrenching her arm from his grasp.

"Just where do you think you're walking off to?" she asked, wondering where he had intended to go, seeing as there really was nowhere else to go from here.

"What do you mean? I know exactly where I'm…" he stopped, becoming conscious of the fact that they were up on deck.

"You were saying?" she said a little crossly.

He looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry."

She grinned. "Okay, I forgive you." she said flippantly.

His eyes widened in surprise. "That's it?"

She nodded.

"But I thought…"

"I was going to give you a hard time?"

"Well, I wouldn't phrase it that way but yes, I did."

She brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, a mischievous glint coming into her eyes. "Do you want me to give you a hard time?"

He was quick to answer. "No."

She smiled, looking out into the distance. "That's good, because I'm actually glad you brought me here."

He glanced at her. "It's just as well that I did then."

She turned to face him. "You didn't even know where you were going, Vincent."

"Well, I had a lot on my mind." he said defensively.

"Like what?" she asked, her innate curiosity getting the better of her.

"_You. Or, more specifically, this strange attachment I have toward you…" _he thought. "Just…things."

She studied him through narrowed gray eyes, her brow wrinkling in concentration.

Without thinking, he reached over and rubbed his thumb over her furrowed brow, surprising her.

"Why did you do that?"

"_I don't know either…but I don't like seeing you frown for some reason." _He shrugged.

She persisted. "Tell me."

He relented. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

He smiled ruefully, shaking his head at her. _"I…wanted to, I guess."_

Yuffie's expression abruptly changed from that of stubborn determination to that of almost childlike admiration.

And, unfortunately for her, Vincent noticed. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She felt her face heat up, and, without thinking about how he would react to hearing what she was about to say, said in an uncharacteristically shy tone of voice, that she thought he had a very nice smile.

He was rendered speechless after that admission. No one had ever said something like that about him before…not even Lucrecia; at least, not the way she did. The honesty in Yuffie's voice as she said those words tugged at his heart, and his pulse quickened in reaction, as if he had just run a marathon…

Yuffie, on the other hand, was quite heartily regretting her impulsively released statement. In her mind, Vincent's continued silence meant he didn't like hearing what she had just said. _"I can't believe I just said that…but I meant every word. He has such a beautiful smile…he really should show it more often, but…I still shouldn't have said it. I just don't know him well enough…" _she thought, a little remorseful for it.

Without looking at him, she said in a quiet, again unusually subdued voice, "I'm sorry. I…shouldn't have said that." She hastily moved away from him, her head bent. "I'll be going now. I don't feel so well." she said, hating herself for sounding so weak.

Before she could get away, he grabbed her arm and made her face him. When she still refused to look at him, he said gently, "Look at me."

Sensing that he wasn't going to let her go if she didn't comply, she looked up at him and met his steady gaze. As soon as she did that, he let go of her arm and said in an unexpectedly soft tone of voice, "Thank you."

She looked into those secretive dark eyes again, his softly spoken appreciation for her candor repeating itself in her mind. "Why…why would you thank me?"

His eyes softened, and his voice was laced with a newfound appreciation for her when he told her that no one had ever said those things about him before.

She blushed. _"What is it about this guy that can make me lose my composure so easily? It's irritating…I just…I just don't get it."_

Vincent's thoughts were of a similar nature. _"Why did I just tell her that? We aren't that close! Heck, we aren't close at all! But still…I feel like I know her well for some reason… Damn. What is happening to me? I shouldn't even be thinking about anything but the battle that's looming ahead of us…but all I can think about is her…"_

Just then, the airship hit some unexpected turbulence, making them fall into each other for the second time that day.

Yuffie's arms went around Vincent's waist, her eyes tightly shut, as his own arms went around her shoulders, holding her close in a very protective embrace…

"_Why does it feel so right…being held by him? I don't understand this…what I'm feeling…but I…I think I **want **to stay like this…just a little longer…" _she thought, letting herself live in the moment…a moment that, if they failed, would never come again.

"_Why do I feel so protective of her? I've never felt this way before…it's strange, and…what am I thinking? I shouldn't be thinking of something as trivial as this when the future of the world is hanging in the balance…but…just a little longer…I want to hold her…just a little longer…"_

And so they stayed that way, each caught up in feelings they either don't understand…or don't want to admit to feeling…

_**Cabin**_

Cloud sat in the same chair Vincent had occupied earlier, watching his Tifa as she slept, his thoughts once again turning to matters that were less than pleasant.

'_Stop acting like you're **sad**. There's no need to act as though you're **angry**, either. Because, Cloud…you are a **puppet**.' _Sephiroth's words. How he hated them. _"He made me doubt myself…so much that she had to follow me to the lifestream to get me back…"_

'_You weren't created five years ago, Cloud.' _ "Tifa." he said under his breath. _"After this battle…if we win, she'll be with me, and I with her… I don't know what'll happen, and…fate has been so cruel to me before now, but maybe, just maybe…fate will let me keep **her**."_

Barret poked his head into the room. "Hey, Cloud, Cid asked me to tell you guys that we're gonna be landing real soon."

"Okay." Cloud replied, rising. "I'll wake Tifa."

Barret nodded, and then he asked, "Have you seen Vincent?"

"…No."

"How 'bout Yuffie?"

"…No. But they should be together."

"Ok." Barret said, walking off to find the rest of their comrades.

As soon as Barret was gone, Cloud sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out and tenderly brushing a lock of Tifa's jet black hair from her face.

She stirred, opening her eyes and giving him a sleepy smile. "Hey. Is it time?"

"Yeah. But I want to stay here a little longer. That okay?"

She nodded, sitting up. "What's up?"

Cloud smiled. She could read him like a book. "Nothing. I just want to be alone with you a little longer."

Tifa reached out and put her hand against his cheek. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." he answered, pulling her to him.

She put her head down on his chest, a contented sigh escaping her lips. "Cloud…after this is over…" she trailed off, a shiver running down her spine at the thought that crossed her mind. _"If we fail…if we die…"_

He felt her shudder and wrapped his arms around her. "After this is over, we're getting a house together. And then we're going to get married, have kids, and grow old together."

Tifa looked up at him. He had an unreadable expression on his face. "Cloud?"

He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and said, "That's what we're gonna do after we get rid of Sephitroth." He glanced down at her. "But I need you to promise me."

"Promise you what?" she asked, pulling away slightly.

"Promise me that you'll be around to do those things with me; that when we fight, you'll be careful…"

For what seemed like the thousandth time that day, Tifa's eyes filled with tears. "Of course I will; but you need to make me the same promise."

"…I promise; and I have another…I'll protect you, Tifa."

A winsome smile appeared on her lips. "Thank you. But all I really want…is to keep you." she said, her face turning pink.

"_But all I really want…is to keep you."_ He grinned idiotically, pulling her close, resting his chin against her hair. "I love you so much…" he murmured.

"I love it when you say that." Tifa said, surprising him.

"…I'm glad you do." he said, a little disappointed.

She smiled up at him. "Just kidding, sweetie. I love you, too."

He didn't answer.

She peered up at him. "Cloud? I'm sorry…"

He moved so fast she didn't realize what was happening until she found herself on her back, her boyfriend smiling down at her. "You didn't do anything wrong, but, now that you've apologized…what're you gonna do to make it up to me?" he said, his clear blue eyes shining with suppressed laughter.

She laughed. "Okay…" Then she leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"There. That should make up-."

Whatever she was going to say was lost as Cloud's lips found hers in an intense kiss that left both of them trying to catch their breaths.

He smiled. "No, _that_ made up for it."

_**Meanwhile**_

Barret's patience was reaching its end. He'd looked everywhere for their two other comrades but he'd had no luck so far. _"Where could those two be? If they're not here, I'm giving up."_ he thought as he approached the steps that led to the deck.

When he reached the top of the steps, he turned and received the shock of his life. There, in front of him, stood Yuffie and Vincent, locked in an embrace that, at the moment, neither one of them seeming to want to let go of the other. And, wanting to leave them alone, he quickly turned to leave.

Vincent stopped him, however. "Were you looking for us, Barret?"

He turned. Yuffie was more than an arm's length away from Vincent now. Embarrassed because he had inadvertently interrupted a private moment between his friends, he hurriedly stammered out what he had come out here to say. "Cid asked me to tell you guys that we'll be landing soon."

The other man nodded. "Okay."

He turned to leave. "Oh, and I'm sorry for interrupting!" Barret added as he raced out.

Vincent then turned to Yuffie who had drawn away from him and was now staring up at the moonlit sky, seemingly lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

She seemed startled. "What?"

"I asked you what you were thinking about."

"I was wondering why you guys wanted to meet so suddenly." she replied, turning to face him.

"You mean they didn't tell you?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I knew, Vincent."

"I'll keep it short and simple. Sephiroth was somehow able to revive himself, and we have to stop him before he carries out whatever it is he has planned."

Her jaw dropped open in shock. "You mean…but how? I thought we were rid of him for good."

"I thought so too. That is not the case, however."

"Do we know anything else?"

"…Yes."

"Go on, I don't think anything can surprise me now."

"Very well. His mother is assisting him."

"…His mother…? But his mother is…"

"Lucrecia."

"She's your ex, right?"

"Yes."

"But…if she's helping him, that means we might have to fight her, too…"

"Yes, that is a possibility." he replied, not a hint of emotion in his voice.

She took hold of the front of his cape, wanting to shake some feeling into him. "How can you be so calm about it? Don't you care?"

He looked away. "…I used to. I'm not sure anymore."

"What do you mean 'you're not sure'?" she asked, relieved to hear that he didn't have feelings for his former girlfriend and hating herself for it. _"Why…am I so relieved? It's not like I have feelings for him or anything…or…do I?"_

"It's just…I can't tell you right now, alright? Look, let's just get back to the bridge and meet up with the others. We should be landing soon."

"…Fine." she answered, a little annoyed with herself for worrying more about what Vincent was thinking than about the crisis the world was facing. "Let's go." _"I'll figure all this stuff out later; I need to focus on the mission...because if I don't, there won't **be** a 'later'; for me, or for anyone else on this Planet."_

A/n: Ok, that's it. They'll get to hear the bad news in the next chapter (obviously) and after that, there'll be two maybe three chapters left; I've already started on chapter 8, and I'll probably be done with that in a week or two, unless my final exams are really tough, which would mean I won't be able to work on this too much, but I'll try my best… (grins) anyway, until next chapter! Read and review please! Thanks. Byeeeee!


	9. Is There Hope?

Okiedokie…the last chapter was, um, pointless? But I wanted to put in a teensy bit more interaction between the characters…specifically between the _couples_ before revealing the gory details of Sephiroth's plan as Red XIII sees it. Oh, and if you're expecting the battle to start right away, that's going to be in the next chapter still…XD

Now for the thank yous to all who reviewed:

spikestrife: Thanks for the vote of confidence and, um, they're not going to fight yet, all the action's in the next chapter still, but I've already started working on it, so you won't have so long to wait. It's pretty much planned out in my head. XD

jisAtsU siLENcE: Thank you for the review and the encouragement. It really helped, believe it or not. Hope you like this chapter! (crosses fingers) XD

GundamWingFanatic90: I love the pairing too. XD heheh, Sephiroth's gonna get it, that's all I have to say. Hope I updated soon enough and thanks for the 'good luck' oh, and gundam wing's great! Trowa's definitely my favorite (weird hair though) hehe

_Within the darkness,_

_You are the light that shines a way…_

Chapter 8 – Is there Hope?

_What do you fight for?_

_Who do you fight for?_

_If you stand to lose everything, will you hold your ground…_

_Or give up?_

_**Cosmo Canyon**_

****Five minutes after they disembarked, the members of Avalanche stood at the entrance to Cosmo Canyon, and waiting in front of that entrance was their friend, Nanaki. They went through the usual formalities, and then Nanaki suggested they go up to his late grandfather's observatory…

The group had gathered inside the large room, waiting in tense silence, until…

"Hey Red, where's Reeve?" Barret asked.

"I'm right here." Reeve answered instead, entering the room.

Barret opened his mouth to say something, but Cloud, all business now, interrupted him. "Nanaki, what else have you learned about Sephiroth and his plan?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Nanaki. "It is worse than I feared-Sephiroth has grown strong…much stronger than what I first thought."

He looked at everyone, somehow feeling like it was to be the last time they were to see each other…_ "No…there has to be a way! We can still defeat him…there just has to be some way…"_

Reeve's grave voice cut through the stiff silence, saying, "Nanaki…please, continue."

He nodded, though he detested what he was about to say. "Sephiroth…he has gained the power of the Ancients, and he intends to use it to destroy the world to build a new one in its place-a world where he alone can live, a world where he is immortal.

"T-that's crazy!" Yuffie stammered.

Nanaki looked at her. "As crazy as Sephiroth himself."

Vincent spoke up. "What must we do, Nanaki?"

Red shook his head regretfully. "I do not know; I was hoping we could think up a plan together."

A long, awkward silence followed.

Cloud looked at the expressions on his friends' faces, knowing he must be wearing exactly the same one. The same look of anger mixed with frustration at the bleak situation. It seemed all was lost…but he still wasn't ready to give up. At least, not without a fight. He looked at Tifa. Her face was leeched of color. _"I'm not giving up…our future is worth fighting for…I believe in it."_

He reached out, took his girlfriend's hand in his, and said in a quiet, reassuring voice, "I'm not giving up; and you shouldn't either. There must still be a way."

She looked at him. "Cloud…" And she threw her arms around him, trembling, not a trace of the optimistic girl she usually was showing. "I-I'm scared."

"I know. It'll be alright…just…don't give up. I'll be right there with you."

"Thank you." she said, holding him tighter, afraid of what was to come, and knowing that, even if it meant losing each other, they couldn't just quit…

Yuffie watched as Tifa threw her arms around Cloud. She could see that her friend was shaking violently; and, although she wanted to help her, she understood that the only one who could ease Tifa's troubles was Cloud.

She was scared, too…and her heartbeat was predictably erratic. Just then, she felt a hand wrap around hers. It was cool, almost icy…she looked down at the hand that held hers, and followed it up to the arm, and, finally, to the face of its owner. "Vincent…" she murmured.

He said nothing; just continued to hold her hand.

She knew what the gesture meant, though, and she was grateful for it. "Thank you."

He turned to look at her. "You're welcome."

Nothing more was said after this, but, in that instant of time, they both realized and accepted what they had felt and denied - their feelings…but this just wasn't the right time for that. There were simply too many other things to worry about; but maybe after it was all over and they were still alive…maybe then.

Nanaki, regarded as the most knowledgeable member of Avalanche, was without a clue. He knew not what they had to do, but he felt that they had to do _something_. It wouldn't be right if they simply surrendered to Sephiroth's will. At least, _he_ thought it wasn't. And then he thought of something. _"Wait…Sephiroth is stronger, but he's still mortal…so maybe…" _He turned to Cloud. "Cloud?"

He turned. "Yeah?"

"I have to something to tell you…"

Barret was leaning on a wall, feeling like his world was tumbling down all around him. He felt helpless, and, if there was anything he wanted to do right then, it was to see his daughter before he got sent to the afterlife. It felt horrible, having thoughts like this, but he didn't think there was any hope left. And the atmosphere in the room wasn't helping matters; it was all gloomy and tense…so he turned on his heel and walked out.

Reeve watched Barret walk out of the room, and, deciding to do the same thing, he turned around and started on his way, but he was stopped by a heavy hand on his shoulder. It was Cid.

"What is it, Cid?" he asked.

"You givin' up without even tryin'?"

"…I don't think there's anything we can do, Cid…"

"Of course there is; we'll think of something. I know it."

Reeve shook his head in denial. "I can't believe that right now, Cid. Sephiroth almost succeeded in destroying the Planet before, and we were barely able to stop him. He's stronger now; you heard it too, didn't you? What can we possibly do…"

"We can fight."

"What? But…that's impossible…" he said, his voice strained.

"I don't think it is, Reeve." Cloud stated.

Reeve turned. All of his friends were looking at him; and he could see that none of them had given up…and maybe he shouldn't either. He turned to face their leader. "What do we do, Cloud?"

"Well, first of all, we can't just throw in the towel, so that means we go and fight him. It's not impossible to beat him right now; he's still mortal, and that means he can still be killed."

"But…he has the power of the Cetra."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make him invincible. Even the Ancients can die."

"Maybe…maybe you're right." Reeve said, hopeful again.

Cloud turned to stand in front of them, slipping almost effortlessly into his role as their leader. "All you really have to do is trust yourselves and the power _you _posses…but you can't fight for something you don't believe in, so if there is even a sliver of doubt in your minds, I want you guys to think it over. Remember what you're fighting for. I know I've asked you to do this before, but this is something we all need to do. If we do this, if we go to battle with Sephiroth, we have to do it without regret." he finished, turning his head in the direction of Barret who had re-entered the room moments before he had started speaking.

Nanaki was the first to talk. "I'm going." he said quietly.

"Me too!" Yuffie said.

"I'm going too." Vincent stated.

"I'm in." Cid, Reeve and Barret announced at the same time.

Tifa smiled softly. They would all battle together, just like they had then. "I'll go, too."

Cloud had to smile. "Okay. Now we just need to think of a plan…"

And so they buckled down and worked on that plan all through the night.

_**4:00 am**_

****Yuffie yawned loudly. "Man, I am _so_ tired!"

The comment was followed by several agreements.

It had taken a lot of time and energy, but they had finally come up with a plan. At this point, it was the only logical thing they could come up with, so they decided to go with it.

Tifa stretched; her muscles felt stiff. "I think we should all get some rest; we're going to need all the energy we can muster for the battle with Sephiroth."

"You're right." Vincent said, looking like he had slept in a comfortable bed instead of staying up all night like the rest of them.

Cid grumbled. "Yo, Vincent, aren't you tired?"

"No."

"Man, I am _so_ jealous of you." Cloud said, wearing a tired grin.

Barret laughed. "Heh, you look like a zombie, Cloud."

Cloud glared at him. "Oh yeah? You're one to talk, Barret! You look like you got run over by a dozen chocobos!"

They ended up chasing each other across the room like little boys playing tag. It was a light-hearted sight that took away a little bit of the tense atmosphere that had been threatening to smother them.

Tifa had to smile. That was right. They had to make the most out of their time together; there was no use worrying too much about something you had no control over. _"No matter what happens now, we can have no regrets."_

Reeve watched his friends laugh and run around, making a lot of noise. It was hard to believe that they could be like this hours before they had to face Sephiroth again, but…that was how they were. And he wouldn't change it for anything.

He had been ready to give up, but now he realized that if he had let that happen, he would've regretted it immensely. He was glad he had decided not to. Then he yawned…loudly.

Moments later, the sound started to echo throughout the room. Yuffie stood up from where she was sitting, cross-legged in a corner and declared that she was going to sleep.

Soon after, the rest of the crew decided to do the same…

**_4:25 am_**

Vincent stood outside, watching the moon slowly make its way across the still dark sky. It would be dawn soon, but he wasn't tired…and besides, he had had more than enough sleep in the years when he had lain in that stuffy coffin inside the damp, cold basement in the Shinra mansion. _"In a few hours, we face Sephiroth again..."_

He let out a sigh. He knew it wasn't going to be easy…it would be their most difficult fight yet, in fact, and it was likely he would need Chaos's strength; and though it gave him unrestrained power, there was the chance that he could lose himself in it, and if he failed to control it he would be that monstrosity for good. "Chaos…"

Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "What're you doing out here?" It was Cloud's voice.

"Just thinking." he replied.

"About the battle?"

"Yes."

Vincent glanced at Cloud. The blond-haired man looked lost in thought. He decided not to bother him, but Cloud spoke then. "Did you want to ask me something, Vincent?"

"Yes." he answered, not at all surprised that Cloud had noticed his earlier action.

"What is it?"

"You asked us earlier to examine our feelings and remember what we're fighting for…and now I'm asking _you._ What are you fighting for?"

"I'd like to say I'm fighting to save the Planet, but…I'm not." He smiled faintly. "It's selfish, but I'm really only fighting for myself…and for her."

"That's natural, I suppose. After all, she's important to you."

"Yeah…" he said, thinking of her…of Tifa.

And then, "Vincent, do _you_ know what you're fighting for?"

"…I'm not sure anymore. I suppose I'm fighting for a lot of things."

"…I see…"

Cloud started to walk away, but just before he reached the stairs, he said, "Think about it, Vincent. Before we ever even set foot in the Northern Crater, you have to know…you have to know what's really important to you." He turned around to face his friend. "Remember…no regrets, alright?" _"It's up to you now, Yuffie. Make him see."_

With that, he turned and ran down the steps.

_"No regrets…huh? _He laughed; a low, joyless chuckle. _"It's too late. I've done too many things I regret. I am guilty."_

"What's so funny?" a voice said, startling him. The voice belonged to the only girl who could ever hope to break his stony façade…Yuffie.

"Y-Yuffie! How long have you been here?"

"Long enough."

"How much did you hear?"

"Well, now, let's see…oh…EVERYTHING!" she answered, grinning.

He stared at her. _"She heard everything? But…how could I not sense her presence?"_

She laughed. "Are you wondering why you didn't realize I was here?"

"As a matter of fact, I was."

"It's because you were so preoccupied. Even Cloud knew I was here." she said, not a hint of laughter in her expression.

He frowned. _"Cloud knew?"_

She walked over to him. "Vincent…can I ask you something?"

He looked warily at her. "…What is it?"

"What do you regret the most?"

Deafening silence was her answer.

"Vincent, please. I know this is difficult for you, but you need to face up to it. It's the only way you can be free." she pleaded, actually serious for once.

He hated to do it, but he would have to deny her; no one could know. Not even her. He turned around… _That was a mistake._

As soon as his eyes met hers, he knew he would never, not in a million years be able to deny her…anything. He hated it. He sighed deeply.

"Vincent?"

He smiled reluctantly. She really was persistent. "You know what I regret most, Yuffie."

Understanding showed in her eyes. "…Lucrecia."

He nodded. "I could never forgive myself for letting all that happen to her…"

"It was her choice, wasn't it?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"It wasn't your fault." she said decisively.

"What are you saying?" he asked, frowning.

"She _chose _to be with Hojo, didn't she? She _chose_ to have Jenova's cells injected into her, didn't she?"

"…Yes." he replied, finally understanding.

"She was a fool." Yuffie whispered, suddenly very angry.

Vincent heard her mumble something under her breath, but it was too low for him to hear. "What are you murmuring about?"

She looked him in the eye and said in a very serious, angry half-whisper, "I said she was a fool."

"What! She did what she had to do-"

"She did what she _wanted_ to do. She was just being selfish; she had no right to scorn you," she said, referring to the time when they had gone to the underwater cave.

He was lost for words. _"Was she really…?"_

Flashback

Lucrecia looked at him sadly. "I'm a scientist, Vincent, and so is he. We know what we're doing."

"No! Lucrecia, don't do it!"

She shook her head. "Please. Just…leave me alone, okay?"

He was left standing alone in the cold.

End of flashback

_"It was her choice…"_ the thought repeated itself in his mind incessantly, and it was followed by another, one which made him question the correctness of everything he had ever done for her. _"She **wanted** to do it. She **chose** to make an experiment of her own child…"_

"Lucrecia…" he muttered, clenching his fists.

"Vincent." Yuffie said, shaking him from his reverie.

"What is it?"

"Don't…don't hate her."

"…Why shouldn't I?" he asked bitterly.

"You…loved her, right?"

Vincent nodded stiffly.

"Then I think…you should give her the benefit of the doubt. Getting angry isn't the best option right now; not if we hope to beat that silver-haired creep."

"You're right." he said, smiling. _"She's matured, but she's still a child at heart. It's endearing…" _he thought, forgetting his anger for the moment.

_"Wasn't that a bit too easy?" _she thought, a little surprised and confused.

"Yuffie." he said, waving his hand in front of her face. She'd spaced out again.

"Huh? What is it?" she asked.

"You were angry." he said softly.

She nodded. "Does it matter?" she asked, a feeling of impending doom settling on her. (a trifle exaggerated, ne?)

"It matters to me." he replied, his voice still soft, almost kind, and filled with something that was very like joy.

Yuffie was taken aback by the unexpected sweetness of his words. She had never imagined Vincent had this side in his personality…and she liked it. "W-why does it matter?" she asked, even more confused because she was so nervous.

"Because it's you." he said sentimentally. (all this is taken right off the top of my head)

She blushed. "Thank you." she said, for lack of anything better to say in reply.

He reached out and brushed his hand against her cheek, making her turn even redder.

Yuffie's heart was pounding hard. She didn't know how to respond; Vincent was acting very affectionate and she didn't know how to deal with it…so she did the only thing she could think of.

She changed the subject.

"So, um, Vincent, what do you want to do after this is all over?"

Vincent, who but a moment before had been looking at her with warm eyes, pulled away abruptly and withdrew behind his wall of indifference. _"What was I doing? Yuffie's attitude must be rubbing off on me."_

"I don't want to think about it just yet." he said shortly.

_"There he goes again. Yuffie, you idiot! Look at what you've done; he's withdrawn again."_

"I understand," she said, wanting to make him revert to the person he'd been just a scant second before; the person she knew was the real Vincent. "Just…think about what I said, ok? And…about Chaos…if you turn into him…" she trailed off, thinking of what could happen.

"I might need Chaos' power." he said quietly, confirming her worst fear.

"But...if you turn into Chaos, you could lose yourself in your anger…and then you won't be you anymore." she whispered, the thought of it making her inexplicably sad for some reason.

He heard the thread of sadness and worry in her voice and smiled. She really did care for him. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." _"I have something…someone…to return to, after all."_

She studied his face for a moment, her eyes soft and unexpectedly moist with tears. "Do you promise?"

"I promise." he said, wiping her tears.

"Thank you."

_**Scene Change**_

Cloud was lying on his back, his head on Tifa's lap, thinking.

Tifa sat with Cloud cradled in her lap, also thinking. "Do you think it worked?" she asked.

"Yeah. I think both of them already knew what they felt for each other; all they needed was a little push."

She laughed. "I suppose so."

He looked at her. "Are you happy?"

She smiled. "Of course."

"Good. Vincent's a hard one to crack."

"I agree. He's always so…distant. But he still helped us out, so it's only right we do him this little favor in return."

"Yeah… Hey, Tifa?"

"Hmmm?"

"Don't forget…later…be careful, okay? For me?"

She kissed his cheek. "I will. You do the same, okay?"

He nodded, standing. "We should get some sleep. It's going to be a long day."

"Alright." she replied.

And so they walked to the room they shared, hand in hand. (before your thoughts wander too far, they only sleep! Hehe)

_**7:15 am**_

****The first stream of light came into the room, waking a reluctant Cloud Strife. He opened his eyes and looked around, his gaze falling on the woman who was lying beside him, in his arms. Tifa. Smiling, he pressed his lips to her forehead, waking her.

Tifa opened her eyes and smiled at what she saw. "Hey."

"Good morning." He sighed unhappily. "It's time."

She closed her eyes. "Already?"

"Afraid so."

She sat up. "I feel like I just fell asleep."

He lay back on the bed. "I was kind of hoping this day wouldn't come."

She looked at him. "I know. I feel the same way."

He sighed loudly. "Well, there's nothing for it. We have to go."

She nodded. "Let's just get this over with."

_**9:15 am**_

****The group walked down the treacherous path on the way to where Sephiroth was bound to be waiting for them. When they were halfway there, a deafening crash was heard.

"What was that!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"I don't know. But I have a feeling we're about to find out." Cloud answered grimly.

Unfortunately for them, he was right. A scant second after the words left his lips, they came across a deep, seemingly endless chasm, and the only way across was a narrow, crumbly ridge on its right side.

Cloud was the first to cross, followed by Tifa and Nanaki and the rest of Avalanche.

A few feet away from reaching the other side, a large stalactite came falling from the cave's roof, making all of them hang on to anything they could, except for Tifa, who had lost her balance and was now holding on to Cloud's hand, her dark eyes wide with fear.

"Hang on! Don't let go!" Cloud yelled, feeling like his heart would jump out of his chest.

"Cloud…!"

Nanaki bit Cloud's shirt and pulled with all his might.

After what felt like an eternity, they managed to pull her up and get her on safe ground on the other side.

"…Are you okay?" Cloud asked her, his eyes filled with worry.

"Y-yes…just a little shaken up, that's all."

He held her tighter. "I'm glad…"

Just then, an image loomed before them, an illusion…of Sephiroth himself. And he was smirking.

"Problems?" he mocked.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud hissed.

"If you're having problems this early in the game, you should turn back now. You cannot hope to defeat me."

"We'll see about that!" Barret yelled.

"You're goin' down!" Cid chimed in.

Sephiroth laughed; a maniacal, haunting laugh that made the hairs on the back of their necks rise. "You're fools, all of you. I cannot lose. But…since you're all so eager to die, I'll be happy to oblige you."

Then the image simply vanished.

"That Sephiroth…he thinks he's already won!" Barret shouted, irate.

"Let's just go." Vincent said, calm as could be.

Barret sighed. "…You're right. Hey, Cloud! Let's get moving!"

Cloud nodded. "Sephiroth is going to regret provoking me."

With those words, Avalanche continued on, determined to put an end to Sephiroth and everything he represented.

a/n: Okay, that's it. all the action starts next chapter. Sorry if this chapter's a bit confusing, but my mind's pretty cluttered at the moment. Anyway, tell me what you guys think, alright? Thanks. Until next chapter!

****


	10. Protect And Save

a/n: I'm sorry it took so long for me to update…I'm not going to give you guys any excuses, but please accept my apology. I'm not sure if this is going to be a good chapter for you guys, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy.

Chapter 9 – Protect and Save

_In this blind justice,_

_I can be that man who saves the day…_

_**10:16 am**_

Cloud climbed up the last ledge and paused for a moment, closing his eyes, feeling the sweat dripping from his brow down to his nose. He was tired, and he suddenly wished he weren't here…but as the vision of Sephiroth's self-satisfied smirk floated in front of his still-closed eyes, that feeling was immediately replaced by one he knew only too well: insuppressible loathing.

"Cloud." It was Tifa's voice.

He opened his eyes and turned to face her. "What is it?"

"Look." she said, pointing to a spot behind him, making him turn to see what it was.

In the middle of the large, eerily lit room in front of him was Lucrecia. She was standing there with her eyes closed, and she had an aura of pure evil around her.

As they watched, she slowly opened her eyes and smiled when she saw them. "You're here. I assume you're here to see my son?"

"We are." Cloud answered calmly.

"I gathered as much." she said, daintily opening her arms as if welcoming them, giving them a glimpse of something shiny hanging from the silver chain around her neck. It was a piece of black stone, and it looked familiar…it was…it had to be…the black materia! "Unfortunately, I cannot let you see him."

Then she muttered a spell. "Quake 3." With that, everything around them began to shake violently, making them fall into each other while dodging the gigantic pieces of rock that fell from the cavern's roof.

"Lucrecia! Stop it! Why are you doing this!" Vincent shouted, frustrated because he couldn't keep his balance long enough to aim his gun, much less fire a shot.

"Why? You must know; he is my son." she replied, laughing.

"You're insane! Sephiroth intends to destroy everything; including you!" Tifa said, desperately trying to think of a way to stop her from making everything shake.

"Nonsense! My child would never harm me!" she said, changing tactics and muttering a spell under her breath. "Ultima!"

Beams of pale green light engulfed Tifa's body, making her stagger backward in extreme pain.

"Stop it!" Cloud yelled, running to his girlfriend's side and pulling her now unconscious body into his arms.

Lucrecia smiled cruelly. "Serves her right for trying to get me to doubt my son."

"Now!"

She turned in time to see Vincent aim and fire his gun. "You think you can harm me?" she asked, raising a hand and deflecting the bullet with a force field.

Vincent gritted his teeth in frustration. _"How do you defeat someone you can't even hit!"_

"Omnislash!" Cloud shouted as he jumped up, ready to hit her with the full force of his strongest attack.

Lucrecia merely smiled at this. "Sephiroth was right. You people **are** weak." As she said this, she raised a hand and blocked the attack with another force field.

Yuffie, Nanaki, Barret, and Cid attacked her from four sides as Reeve tried to distract Lucrecia, but it was, like all of their previous attempts, in vain.

"What are we going to do? We can't even hit her!" Barret said.

"I don't know!" Yuffie answered.

"This is quite a dilemma…" Nanaki said.

"Let's just keep attacking her, that way we might be able to wear her down!" Cid suggested.

So they attacked…and attacked…and attacked…but nothing worked. All of them were injured, and Tifa, who had suffered the most damage because of Lucrecia's 'ultima' spell, was only now regaining consciousness.

"Let me handle her. You guys go on ahead." Vincent announced suddenly.

"What? We're in this thing together; we can't just leave you!" Cloud said.

"This is something I must do on my own. Please, just go."

"No! You can't fight her alone, Vincent." Reeve said.

"Yeah, you might get killed!" Yuffie added.

"I won't. Trust me." he replied.

Tifa grabbed his arm, and he turned to face her. "What are you planning to do?" she asked.

"Whatever I can." he replied.

"Vincent…are you sure?" she asked as she stood up.

He nodded.

"Be careful, alright? You have a lot to live for," Tifa whispered, tilting her head in Yuffie's direction.

"…I know."

She turned around. "Guys…I think we should leave this one to Vincent." she said, watching as Lucrecia's latest attack threw Cid and Barret into the wall.

"Why?" Reeve asked.

"Because…it's something he has to do." Tifa answered.

Cloud stood up. "…Vincent, what exactly are you planning on doing?"

When Vincent didn't answer, Cloud opened his mouth to ask again, but Tifa stopped him. "He knows what he's doing." she said.

"What…we can't just leave him, Tifa."

She shook her head at him. "This is personal for him. We shouldn't interfere."

Cloud relented. "Alright." He turned to Vincent who glanced at him. "Be careful, man, alright?"

Vincent nodded.

"Ok guys, it's time to face Sephiroth himself; he shouldn't be too far from here."

The others simply nodded their heads in agreement, putting their faith in Cloud's judgment.

As the others started to move away, Yuffie stayed behind and put her hand on Vincent's shoulder, making him turn to look at her. "What is it, Yuffie?"

"Let me fight beside you." she said quietly.

He shook his head at her. "I can't let you do that. Like I said before, this is something I must do on my own."

She started to say something else, but she was cut off when Vincent grabbed her and jumped away with her to avoid getting hit by a fire spell. "I have to do this. Please, Yuffie, you need to go!" he said when they landed and he pushed her away.

_"But how are you going to beat her?_ she asked him silently. _"…How?" _ That was when she realized what he intended to do.

_"…No…it can't be…he wouldn't…Vincent…"_ As she thought this, a loud, blood-curdling scream echoed through the cavern, and Vincent's body started to change. He was transforming into Chaos.

Cloud and the others had just crossed yet another chasm on their way to confront Sephiroth when they heard the scream. It sounded human at first, and then it changed to a deep, inhuman roar which was all too familiar.

"Chaos…" Tifa whispered.

"…Did you know?" Cloud asked.

"He said he might…I suppose…we just have to trust him."

"You think he'll be ok?"

"I hope so. Yuffie stayed with him."

"Worried about your little friends, are you, Cloud?" a malice-filled voice asked.

Cloud looked around and found, not surprisingly, another image of his nemesis looking disdainfully down on them. "What do you want?"

Sephiroth responded with a smirk. "Can't I just come and greet my favorite puppet?"

Cloud's temper immediately flared, and he started to charge at Sephiroth, but Barret held him back. "Calm down, man. He's just bating you; you're playing right into his hands!"

Cloud pulled himself free from the bigger man's grasp and consoled himself by shooting a death glare in the image's direction. "You're going to die."

This got a slow, mocking laugh out of Sephiroth. "Don't be foolish. You are nothing, just a puppet created by a stupid man whose ambitions were too high…you don't stand a chance."

"I destroyed you twice before. I can do so again."

The reminder earned him a look of extreme displeasure from the silver-haired image. "You're going to regret that remark."

It was Cloud's turn to smirk. "Actually, no. I don't believe I will."

The image smiled again as an animal-like roar turned into a pained human scream. "You'd better go see to your friends. You don't want them to end up like that Ancient, now, do you?" Then the image just vanished.

Vincent collapsed in a heap after Lucrecia's latest and most brutal assault…and a very worried Yuffie rushed to his side. "Vincent!" She lifted his head and laid it on her lap, crying all the while.

Lucrecia let out a laugh; it was a cold, eerie kind of laugh, and it rang with the finality of her victory. "You people really are no match for us," she said, her mocking gaze fixed on Yuffie.

The younger girl didn't say anything at first, but when she did, her voice was filled with such venomous certainty it made Lucrecia shiver slightly. "You will die. If it's not by my hand, then it will surely be by his." she said, her gaze never leaving the face of the man she cared so much about.

"Come then. Show me what you got."

The young ninja carefully transferred Vincent's head from her lap to the floor and stood up. Fierce determination and anger glowed in her eyes as she stared at her opponent. "Let's get this over with."

Cloud and the others rushed back to where they'd left Yuffie and Vincent earlier and what they saw both horrified and surprised them. Vincent was lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from cuts all over his body. And Yuffie was fighting against Lucrecia…and she was holding her own. The way she was fighting, it was like she was possessed…she seemed more determined at this moment than she had ever been before.

Yuffie never even realized they were there. All she could think about was defeating Lucrecia…to make her pay for hurting Vincent, for hurting the others…hurting her. She muttered a spell. "Ice."

Lucrecia countered with a fire spell.

_"Damn. She's good." _Yuffie thought, irritated. _"What can I do? There has to be some way to beat her…"_

"Giving up yet?" Lucrecia taunted.

"No." she replied. "I'm just sick of looking at your stupid face."

"How dare you…! Impulse shock!"

Taken by surprise, Yuffie couldn't dodge this attack in time…so it hit her full force, making her fly across the room, landing with a dull thud and writhing in pain.

Lucrecia immediately lunged at the helpless young ninja and prepared to finish her. The others were staring helplessly, their feet carrying them toward their friend but it seemed all was lost…they were simply too far away…Lucrecia's victory seemed complete…

Yuffie closed her eyes. There was nothing she could do now. Her body was just too weak…

Lucrecia smiled evilly as she closed her eyes. A blade of ice appeared in her hand and she raised it, poised to strike. "Die."

After she had brought the blade down, she felt it sink into soft flesh and hot human blood spill onto her fingers, she opened her eyes and smiled, expecting to see the blade in Yuffie's body, her blood on her fingers, but it was not to be…because the blood which was now dripping through those same fingers and onto the floor was Vincent's. The sight of it made the real Lucrecia surface.

Her eyes widened and she staggered backward, remorse showing in her expression. "Vincent…why?"

"I can't let you kill her…anyone…please, Lucrecia, there has to be _some_ humanity left in you if you feel guilty about stabbing me." he said, his own blood spreading into a pool around him.

"No. I don't care! I'm not sorry!" she screamed hysterically.

"Lucrecia…the Lucrecia I knew…she's in you somewhere It's not too late!I know it!"

Lucrecia covered her ears, shaking her head back and forth, over and over. "No!" _"No…she isn't here! I am Sephiroth's mother…they're trying to kill him…I can't let them…"_

"_Your son is beyond help. He will destroy all humanity if he succeeds." _a voice said in her head.

"_But **you** will survive…and rule by his side…immortal," _another said. An all too familiar voice. Jenova's voice.

"_No, you won't. Jenova, not Lucrecia, will rule by Sephiroth's side. Your soul will be bound to Jenova's evil forever," _the first voice said.

"_It's the gift of immortality…would you dare refuse it? You are bound to me; that will never change. My cells dwell in you." _the second informed her.

"Stop it! Stop it…please…" Lucrecia stared at her hands. They were stained with blood. Vincent's blood. Memories…long suppressed memories kept repeating themselves in her head. Vincent's smile, his kindness, the desperation she'd heard in his voice when he'd tried to stop her from experimenting on her own child…and he'd done those things despite the fact that she'd chosen her love for science over him. She had chosen Hojo over him…even though she'd loved him…

She touched her face. It was wet with tears…it surprised her. She had not cried in a long, long time. "Vincent…I'm sorry."

"Don't…apologize. All that matters now is I kept my promise. I saved you."

"I must not exist any longer. Jenova is still inside me…I will succumb to her power again soon…Be happy, Vincent. Good bye."

As she uttered those words, her body was engulfed in a very dark light. She had cast a spell on herself; one that would kill her. She had cast her most powerful spell, one borne of the black materia. Meteor.

Vincent reached out to her, pleading. "No…please, you mustn't…"

Lucrecia smiled sadly. "I have to…in order to save humanity…to save you as you've saved me I will always love you, Vincent." A loud explosion followed, and Lucrecia was lost forever.

Tears clouded his vision. She loved him?

"Vincent!"

He turned at hearing his name. It was Yuffie. An uninjured one. "Yuffie…your injuries…"

"She healed me. Just like she did you," she said.

He looked down on where the injury was supposed to be, but it was not there. The pain was gone as well. "She saved me…"

"She saved all of us," Tifa said, kneeling down beside him.

Cloud nodded in agreement. "She protected us from meteor."

Yuffie agreed. "I guess…she wasn't so bad after all."

Vincent silently disagreed. _"She was **never** bad…"_

a/n: It's my birthday today! I've been kind of depressed lately but I'm ok now…I updated, didn't I? That's a start, right? RnR please, thank you! BYEE!


	11. Trapped

a/n: alright, chapter 10! Man, this story's gonna be finished in a few more chappies…sniff…

Chapter 10 – Trapped

Everyone seemed to be talking at once…but amidst all the frantic chatter, Vincent Valentine sat, seemingly lost in his own world. Lucrecia was gone…forever…but she'd left him with something precious, something irreplaceable. A chance to live again…not just exist.

He looked at Yuffie, the girl who'd fought so valiantly because she cared for him…yes, he could at least admit that to himself now, and he was grateful for it, because, after what seemed like a thousand years, he felt that he really cared for someone who would be there for him no matter what…like Tifa was for Cloud. He knew he cared for the young girl very much – but was it love? He had no idea.

"Hey…Vincent? Vincent!"

He blinked, the sound of his name being called snapping him out of his reverie. "Yuffie?"

She sat down next to him and whispered, "Are you alright?"

He nodded.

"Good. I was worried about you."

"You were? Thank you."

Before she could reply, they were being called away. "Hey, you two! It's time to go! Sephiroth still needs to get his ass kicked." Cid yelled.

Yuffie immediately stood up. "Alright. I wanna get out of here as soon as possible."

As she began to walk away, Vincent jumped up and grabbed her arm, holding her back. "Yuffie, wait."

She turned to face him. "What is it?"

He looked straight into her eyes. "Thank you. I mean it."

"You're welcome." She started to walk away again, but he tightened his grip on her arm, effectively making her stay.

"Wait…"

"What is it?"

"I…it's just – when we go up against Sephiroth – be careful, alright?"

She stared hard at him. "Yeah, of course I will."

He continued to hang onto her arm. "Yuffie!"

She turned. "Yeah?"

He averted his eyes. "It's just…I, uh, really don't want anything to happen to you…I – just…you made me promise before…that I'll be alright…I need to know you'll be safe after this is over…I need to know…I need you to make me the same promise I made to you…"

Yuffie's expression softened and she lifted her free hand to touch his cheek. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"Yuffie…"

She smiled at him and almost shyly leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek "Don't worry. I'll be okay…you'll be with me."

With that, she turned and quickly followed the others, leaving an inordinately pleased but undeniably dazed Vincent in her wake.

"They're coming." a figure wearing a black hooded robe announced, startling the silver-haired man in front of him.

"What do you mean? They can't have defeated Lucrecia…"

"I'm afraid they didn't need to, sire. She self-destructed."

"But she was under a spell -"

"It was broken."

"By who?"

"I can only assume it was the man in the red cloak."

"How?"

"She stabbed him, and I assume she was aggrieved by his pain."

Sephiroth cursed profusely. "Foolish woman." he muttered, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"My lord? What shall we do now?" the hooded figure asked.

Sephiroth gave him a sardonic smile. "Stall them."

The figure bowed respectfully. "As you wish."

As his companion was leaving, Sephiroth turned back and faced his reflection in the mirror. He didn't look different…but he felt different. It wouldn't be too long now…he just needed a little more time…

"Which way do we go from here?" Cloud asked, standing in front of yet another crossroad, the third one they'd encountered so far.

Red XIII sighed. "I suppose…we just pick one."

Cloud echoed that sigh. "Why do I get the feeling we're going around in circles? I don't remember there being so many forks in the road when we came here before…"

"Yeah, I don't recall that, either," Reeve said.

Tifa looked around. The place had changed a lot alright, but an explosion would destroy everything, not rebuild it and make it as big as it seemed to be at the moment… "Hey, guys…"

Cloud turned at the sound of her voice. "What is it?"

"Do you think…if he could…would Sephiroth change the face of this place to suit his needs?"

Her boyfriend cocked his head to the side, thinking. "Yeah, I guess he would." he replied.

"Look around…this place…it looks like it was…_created_…"

"…But why would he do that? Unless he's…"

"He's stalling." Vincent said.

Everyone turned to him. "What do you mean? Why would Sephiroth stall? He should want to get rid of us as soon as possible, right?" Barret asked, confused.

"It may be that he's trying to buy himself some time for something…but if so, what?" Vincent wondered out loud.

"Wouldn't you like to know," an unfamiliar voice arrogantly said.

All eyes turned in the direction of the voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" an irritated Cloud asked.

"It means your pathetic existence ends here." he replied, that same maddening arrogance in his voice.

Barret stepped forward angrily. "Why don't you step out of the shadows and back that up, hotshot."

Obligingly, the shadowy figure stepped into the light, revealing a relatively short man wearing a black hooded robe and open-toed brown sandals.

Barret smirked. "Heh, for all that big talk, you don't look like the type who can back it up."

The hooded figure smiled before making a quick gesture with his hands…and not even a minute after he did so, about two dozen figures wearing identical black robes appeared.

"Oh shit…" Barret muttered under his breath.

"Jeez, Barret, could you have been more wrong?" Yuffie said, annoyed.

He glared at her. "You're one to talk, you -"

"Cut it out, guys. This is _not_ the time to argue…they're closing in." Tifa said.

Both Yuffie and Barret looked up after Tifa's statement and, to their horror, saw for themselves that what Tifa just said was true.

"Man, this is gonna be trouble…" Barret muttered.

"I can't believe I actually agree with you…" Yuffie said.

And suddenly, almost faster than they could blink, the hooded figures were attacking from all sides – relentlessly.

"This…really…sucks…big time!" Yuffie said, yanking her arm away from one guy and kicking another guy in the gut to keep him away.

"Yeah…what do you propose we do about it, then?" Vincent asked, calm as could be as he shot one guy in the leg and flipped his gun over before using it to hit another guy on the head, knocking him unconscious.

"I don't know!" she yelled in reply.

"Ouch! That hurts!" Tifa shouted, blood dripping from a deep cut on her arm.

"Tifa! Are you alright?" Cloud asked, worried.

"I'll be fine…as soon as I…finish doing _this_!" she said, punching the guy who cut her in the face.

"We can't keep this up much longer! We have to get out of here!" Cid yelled.

"I couldn't agree with you more…" Reeve muttered, ducking to dodge a punch directed at his face.

"I'm all for that…but how do we do it?" Barret asked, shooting off a few rounds.

"How about…we run!" Yuffie suggested.

"Yeah…but run where!" Tifa asked.

"I dunno…be creative!" the ninja answered.

Tifa sighed. "I can't think straight let alone be creative in a situation like this…"

"Hey! Over there!" Cid yelled.

Everyone immediately turned in the direction Cid pointed out. It was a shallow-looking cave higher up, on a ledge. "You sure? What if it's a trap?" Cloud asked.

"I say we take a chance on it!"

"Okay…I'd rather take a chance on that than stay here anyway…" Reeve muttered.

So they quickly pushed the attackers closest to them away and ran in the direction of the cave – only to find when they got there that inside the cave many more hooded figures awaited them.

"Great…we're in for it now."

a/n: Okay…I know this chapter's kind of short but I couldn't think of anything else…but the next chapter will be longer, promise! RnR…please? Thank you!


	12. Bloody Confrontation

A/n: Ok, here's chapter 11. I hope you guys like this one!

To my reviewers:

jisAtsU siLENcE – thanks a lot for always reviewing…! You've been great!

the Dr. – Thanks, I had fun. Sephiroth _will_ die…eventually, and yeah, I probably am going to make them totally slaughter that guy. (smile)

glamrockbloodbath – Thanks, I really like 'em, too. And though Aeris isn't such a bad character (that's not saying I liked having to rescue her all the time during the game) I just don't support the CloudxAeris pairing…but hey, that's just me. (grin)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this fic.

Chapter 11 – Bloody Confrontation

_I'm there for you_

_No matter what…_

"Great…we're in for it now." Yuffie muttered.

"Man, why do we always have to do it the hard way?" Reeve asked.

"Because we're the good guys." Cloud said, smiling despite the seemingly desperate situation they were in.

"Yeah…but why are you smiling?" Cid asked.

Tifa answered for him. "Because the good guys _always_ win, no matter what."

"…No matter what?" Cloud remarked, grinning at her.

She nodded, smiling back. "No matter what."

Their friends looked at them with confused expressions on their faces. "How do you think we'll pull _that_ off?" Barret asked, gesturing to the other side of the cave where their would-be attackers waited for them.

"Simple." Cloud said, pointing to a small hole to the right of the dark cave.

"Eh? How do you suppose we fit into that?" Reeve inquired.

"We won't have to fit into _that_, actually, we can make it bigger." Cloud replied.

Reeve gave Cloud an inquiring look and then asked, "How do you propose we do that?"

"Like this," Cloud said, motioning to Tifa to go ahead.

After getting the signal from Cloud, Tifa raced towards the said hole and performed her ultimate limit break, making the stone barrier disappear, revealing a fairly straightforward path that led to another just ahead.

"Whoa…" Cid whistled.

"How did you know…?" Red XIII asked.

Cloud grinned. "You guys remember Tifa getting cut earlier, right?"

The others nodded.

"Well, it's gone now."

"What?" nearly everyone exclaimed at the same time.

"It's true," Tifa said, showing them the part of her arm where the cut was supposed to be.

"What the – what does this mean?" Vincent asked, disbelief written on his normally expressionless face.

"It means all those guys out there aren't real." Cloud replied, tipping his head in the direction of their enemies.

"What? But how?" Reeve asked.

"That first guy – the one Barret talked to – he's the one. He has to be the one who created and is controlling all those other guys." Cloud said.

"Okay, that's good, but they're still there, and we still can't just go through them without incident, even if they are just illusions."

"Then we get rid of the source of those illusions." Vincent stated.

"Now that's a plan…but, just one thing. How do we do that?" Barret asked.

"We get rid of that first guy." Yuffie answered.

"That's good and all, but…how are we supposed to find him? They all look the same."

"Good point, Ba - huh? Everybody, duck!" Yuffie shouted.

Everyone jumped away as a big chunk of cave rock came falling from the cave roof. "What just happened?" Tifa asked, wincing as she landed hard on her backside.

"I think we just found our man." Cloud said, pointing to his right at a man in a hooded black robe who looked like he was chanting some sort of spell.

"Let's go get him!" Barret yelled.

"How do you propose we do that?" Vincent asked, gesturing to the new chasm that had just opened up in front of them.

"Huh? Oh you've _got_ to be kidding me!"

Cloud turned to look behind him then, and he immediately found himself regretting the action. "Uh, guys…"

Everyone turned to him. "What is it this time?" Yuffie asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Look behind me."

And they did. "Oh my god…" Tifa whispered.

Cloud looked towards the chasm again, and, taking a deep breath, he started walking towards it.

"Cloud! What are you doing?" Tifa called, her voice laced with worry and alarm.

"This is all an illusion, right? As long as I don't let myself believe what I see and focus on the fact that it's not real, then…"

They all watched, frozen, as Cloud stepped into the seeming abyss…and saw his feet touch what looked like air like it was solid ground.

As Cloud continued to cross, the rest of them slowly followed, and, just as it had been with Cloud, they felt solid earth beneath their feet.

As they reached their destination, Vincent saw something from the corner of his eye, and as he turned to see what it was, he saw that it was the man they'd been looking for. Quickly and without hesitation, he took his gun out from its holster, aimed, and fired.

The shot rang out in the sudden silence, and everyone watched as a man in a black hooded robe fell to the ground, blood gushing out from a wound in his left thigh.

Vincent started walking towards the injured man, the look in his eyes completely unnerving the helpless individual. Stopping just in front of him, he pointed his gun in the vicinity of the man's head. "Tell me. Where is Sephiroth?"

Despite his obvious fear, the man looked back at Vincent defiantly. "I'd rather die than betray the Master." he stated.

"I'd be more than happy to grant your wish," Vincent retorted, "but you're no good to us dead."

The others arrived then. "So, what do you think we should do to him?" Reeve asked.

Tifa cocked her head to the side, studying the harmless-looking man. "I don't know…what do you guys think?"

"We could torture him until he's ready to tell us where Sephiroth is." Barret suggested.

"We could shake him up a little bit and see if he has any materia!" Yuffie said.

"Nah…we could just get rid of him right now," Cid said, pointing his spear right in the man's throat.

"Sephiroth won't spare you after this anyway, so why don't you just tell us where he is? It might save your life," Cloud stated.

The man tilted his chin up in continued resistance. "I refuse."

Cloud's blue eyes flashed with barely restrained anger, and he decided to throw democracy into the wind. "Are you sure?" he asked, adding his Ultima Weapon into the mix of weaponry that was pointed at Sephiroth's loyal servant.

The man's façade of defiance started to crumble then. Kneeling beside him, Tifa smiled gently. "Please. Tell us where your master is. I promise we won't hurt you."

He looked at the woman in front of him, her serene smile abating his fear just a bit. "Alright." he relented finally. "I'll tell you. The Master is - "

"The Master is very disappointed in him," a voice, vastly different from the man's but all too familiar to the members of Avalanche, spoke. Sephiroth had taken control of his servant's body.

Everyone jumped away immediately, and the man smiled. "Surprised? Well, then, I'm sure you'll be even more surprised when I do _this_!" he stated, the smile still on his face when Sephiroth used his servant's own hand to slit his throat, effectively silencing him for good.

"No…" Tifa whispered, horrified.

"Damn. I should've known…" Cloud muttered.

"We…we all just…" Yuffie stuttered.

"We all just watched him die," Vincent finished for her, his expression grim.

"We can't let this kind of thing continue…Sephiroth will kill even more people if we don't stop him…"Tifa said, her fists clenched so tightly they hurt.

"She's right," Cloud said. "We need to find Sephiroth as soon as possible."

"Yeah…but where do we start?" Barret asked, gesturing around him.

"We could start by going that way," Vincent announced, pointing in the direction of a path that lay straight ahead.

"Why? What makes you think Sephiroth's location is that way?" Cid asked.

"This," Vincent answered, holding up a roughly sketched map, with an X with the words 'The Master's room' written beside it. It was partly smeared with blood.

"Well, now, _that's_ convenient…" Reeve muttered.

"Yeah, well, in any case, we should try it." Tifa said, turning in the direction Vincent had pointed out earlier.

With Tifa leading the way, the others started to follow when a dark figure, until then going unnoticed by everyone, swooped down and snatched Tifa away.

"Tifa!" Cloud shouted, running after them.

Everyone else followed immediately. "Cloud! Wait up!" Barret called, running as fast as he could…but to no avail. Cloud had already disappeared around the corner and when they turned at that same corner, they were forced to stop. There, in front of them was a magical energy barrier blocking the way.

"Oh no…" Yuffie said dejectedly. She, as well as the rest of the crew, could see Cloud talking with his girlfriend's abductor from behind the barrier, but they could do nothing.

"There must be a way to break through…"Red XIII said. "We must get to them quickly."

Vincent agreed. "Yes. As strong as Cloud is, he can't fight well with Tifa in danger. He'd be too distracted."

"Yeah. And you can bet that that guy, whoever he is, will definitely try to hurt Tifa to get into Cloud's head."

"So what're we waiting for?" Cid asked, his spear already in hand. "Let's start cracking."

So they did.

Meanwhile…

"Let her go!" Cloud yelled angrily.

The hooded man simply smiled, observing the man who stood in front of him. He was Avalanche's leader, was he? Well, it looked like taking this girl away was a better move than he thought it was. It was obvious to him that this girl meant a lot to his unwilling visitor.

He looked down at the unconscious young woman's face and smiled. She was beautiful, and he could understand why Cloud seemed to be so taken with her. He started to touch her, but a warning voice stopped him cold.

"Don't you dare touch her," Cloud said, his clear blue eyes flashing with an intense, unwavering anger as he looked at the man who had so easily kidnapped Tifa.

"Or what?" the man taunted, his arrogant smile widening.

"Or I'll kill you," he replied.

"Oh? Would you be willing to destroy your old best-friend?"

Cloud frowned at this. "What do you mean?"

Smiling, the man pulled the hood from his robe, revealing spiky jet-black hair and a face Cloud remembered now only in his nightmares. "Zack…?" his old friend whispered in disbelief.

"Glad you remember me, buddy."

"Wha – What are you doing here? I thought - "

"You thought I was dead? Well, you were wrong."

"But how…?"

"Master Sephiroth revived me."

"Sephiroth…? Why would he…?"

Zack shrugged. "Who knows?"

Shaking off his surprise, Cloud again focused on the situation at hand. Zack may have been his old friend, but he'd still kidnapped Tifa, and he would never forgive him if he harmed her. "Whatever, Zack. Just let Tifa go, alright?"

The raven-haired man raised his eyebrows in surprise. So this girl was Tifa? She'd matured quite a bit… "So this girl is the same one from Nibelheim? The one you were so hung up over?"

Cloud nodded.

Zack laughed. "I guess I can't blame you. She _is_ a very beautiful girl."

The blond-haired man's frown deepened. "Let her go, Zack."

"What? Jealous?" his somewhat-former friend asked.

"Let her go!" Cloud hollered, his sword now in his hands.

Obediently, Zack lay Tifa down on the floor, her wrists bound behind her back. "Happy now?" he asked, a slightly unnerving grin on his face.

"You still haven't let her go, Zack. What the hell do you want?"

"It's not about what _I _want, it's about what the Master wants."

"Damn it, quit playing games! Just tell me what you want and let Tifa go!"

Zack frowned. "You really do like her, huh?"

Cloud only stared at him, murder in his eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk. You have such a one-track mind."

His patience at an end, Cloud muttered a spell. "Ice."

Seeing this, Zack quickly jumped out of the way. "Watch it, man! You might hit me!"

"That's the idea," Cloud muttered, uttering yet another spell, trying to get him as far away from Tifa as possible.

"So you want to fight?"

Cloud didn't answer.

Taking his new opponent's silence for a yes, Zack charged towards Cloud who swiftly dodged the attack.

"You've gotten better," the black-haired man commented.

Cloud continued to say nothing, his worry for his girlfriend's safety growing with each minute.

After a few minutes of Zack's aggressive attacks and Cloud's continuing to just dodge said attacks, a lone figure appeared above them, his long silver hair swaying in the still air as he bent to take the still-unconscious Tifa into his arms. Turning, he started to disappear back into the darkness with her when Cloud looked up.

"Sephiroth!" he yelled, running towards him. "What do you think you're doing?"

Sephiroth smiled. "What do you _think_ I'm doing? I'm taking her with me."

"No! Damn you, let her go!" Cloud shouted, desperation and worry creeping into his voice.

"I don't think so," the silver-haired man replied.

Zack turned also. "Master? What are you doing with her? I thought you said we were only going to use her as bait…"

His master turned to look at him with an unrepentant smirk on his face. "I lied."

The dark-haired man's eyes widened. "What…? But…"

"You do not need to know. Just finish him for me."

Clenching his fists, Zack nodded. Turning to face Cloud, he said quietly, "Sorry about that, man. But orders are orders, so."

Cloud turned to look at him with burning animosity and unhidden disgust. "I need to go. I need to get her back."

Zack shook his head. "If you want to get her back, you'll have to beat me first."

"Damn you," Cloud muttered furiously, his Ultima Weapon now raised and poised to strike. "I _will_ beat you. I must."

"You can try."

Later…

The sound of swords clashing and bodies crashing to the floor echoed through the cavern. Both men were tired, sweaty, and dirty, but their will only grew stronger with each passing moment. For Cloud, his overwhelming need to save and protect Tifa, and for Zack, his determination to follow Sephiroth's orders.

"Why, Zack? Why are you with Sephiroth?" Cloud asked.

"Because he brought me back to life." Zack replied.

"But what would you want to come back for?"

"Something important…or, should I say, _someone._"

"What? You mean that girl?"

"Yeah. Aeris."

"But she's dead."

"Yeah. The Master promised to bring her back if I helped him."

"You fool! Sephiroth never makes good on his promises!"

"I'd rather take that chance than go on without her!"

"Sephiroth's the one who killed her!"

That stopped Zack cold. "What?"

"Sephiroth's the one who killed her." Cloud repeated. "In the City of the Ancients."

"You're lying!" he screamed, once again clashing swords with Cloud.

"It's the truth! Why won't you believe me!"

"No, you're lying! The Master promised he'd bring her back for me! That's all that matters!"

"You're a selfish idiot!"

"I don't care! You're not getting through me!"

"I don't have time for this! I need to go get Tifa back!"

"Not before you beat me!" Zack shouted hysterically, the tip of his blade coming into contact with Cloud's left arm, making blood fly everywhere.

"Then I'll finish this right here!" Cloud screamed, ignoring the pain in his arm and jumping forward, performing Omnislash, effectively disarming and severely injuring Zack.

Falling to the ground in a heap, Zack smiled. "You've gotten good. Really good," he said, the blood flowing out from his wounds making a pool around him.

"I'm sorry, Zack. I had to…"

"It's alright, I know. Now go get your girlfriend."

"But - "

"Go, Cloud." It was Reeve. "We'll take care of him."

Cloud nodded and immediately rushed off in search of Tifa.

"We should split up," Yuffie said. "Spiky probably won't be able to handle Sephiroth alone – especially in his state."

"You're right," Vincent said. "Who's going to go with us?"

Cid and Barret volunteered to go with Yuffie and Vincent while Reeve and Red XIII decided to stay with Zack.

"Alright, then, let's go."

And they were off.

Elsewhere…

Tifa slowly opened her eyes and looked around her at the unfamiliar room. "Where…am I?"

"You're home," a man informed her.

"Home…Dad?"

"Yes."

She smiled. "I'm so glad…"

a/n: Okie…that's it for chapter 11! Sorry for taking so long to update, I was busy with school stuff. You know how it is…Anyway, r&r…please? Thank you!


	13. In Search Of Tifa

a/n: Hello again! Sorry for the long update; I've been kinda busy with finals week and another story I've been working on…well anyway, here's chapter 12. (crosses fingers) Here's to hoping you guys like it! read and review please? Thank you!

To my reviewers:

Ricey-boy – Thanks for reviewing! Yeah…I've watched all three, too, and FFVII AC is awesome:-)

the Dr. – Hi, thanks again for reviewing! A little spoiler: …after this chapter Sephiroth's getting his! hehe

Chapter 12 – In Search Of Tifa

_I'm there for you_

_Never giving up…_

Footsteps…loud, hurried ones echoed through the empty hallway as Cloud's eyes locked on to an opening that lay just ahead of him…and he started running ever faster, his mind on where Tifa might be.

When he reached his destination, however, he skidded to an abrupt stop. There, in front of him, stood a silver-haired girl who was eerily similar in profile to Tifa. He couldn't see her face, though, as she had her back to him. He started to speak, but the girl chose that exact moment to turn around and face him, and Cloud suddenly lost his voice.

The girl wasn't just _like_ Tifa; she looked like her, too. No, this girl _was _Tifa; there was no mistaking it. The face that greeted him was the face of the girl he loved, and her gentle eyes only confirmed her identity to him…but she was different. Her hair was now a pale, luminous silver, and her normally gloved hands were bare. She also looked at him as if he was a stranger, and that was what hurt the most.

"T-Tifa…don't you remember me?" he asked, his eyes pleading with her.

She smiled at him; a sad, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. Am I supposed to remember you?"

Her words hit like a million tiny shards of glass on his heart. "Tifa…it's me, Cloud. Y-You – we – we were…"

"Were you my friend?" she asked innocently, having no idea of the amount of pain she was inflicting on the handsome young man in front of her.

"Y-You are my…girlfriend, Tifa," he said quietly, his clear blue eyes filled with pain.

She stared hard at him. She still couldn't remember who he was, but the moment he walked into the room, her heart had started to beat a little faster, his presence made her feel happy…and the look she saw in his eyes when he realized she didn't know him made her heart ache so much… "_Am I really his girlfriend? But how…? Father said I've never had one…"_

She tentatively inched closer to him. "…Are you really…?"

He reached for her, and she let him hold her, surprised by the feeling of familiarity that being in his arms evoked. "This…this feels…familiar somehow…that means…I must – I must know you…but how could that be?" she whispered.

Just then, they heard a deep male voice from behind them. "Tifa, get away from him."

She looked up. "Father? But…he says I know him…and I really feel like I do…"

"Didn't you hear what I just said? Get away from him!"

Slowly, and with another apologetic smile, Tifa pulled away from Cloud and went to stand by her father…a tall, silver-haired man with cold eyes, a malevolent smile…and the infamous Masamune long sword in his left hand.

"Sephiroth," Cloud said in a harsh whisper, "What have you done to her?"

"What do you mean, Cloud? Are you saying I would do something to my own daughter?" Sephiroth countered smoothly, using his free hand to pull his 'daughter' closer to him, making Cloud's blue eyes blaze with even more anger.

"You're a monster…"

This comment made Tifa come to her supposed father's defense. "Don't say that! Father is a nice man!"

"Tifa…what has happened to you?" Cloud asked quietly.

"Nothing. Is it so wrong for a daughter to defend a father that she knows is innocent?" Tifa said.

"Innocent? Father?" he asked incredulously. "He's not your father, and he is far from innocent!"

She looked hurt. "How could you say such things? And here I thought you might be a nice man!"

Cloud sighed. "He isn't your father, Teef. Fact is, he's the one who killed your real dad…six years ago, with that same sword," he stated quietly, gesturing to the heavy sword in Sephiroth's hand.

The nickname stirred something in her, but she chose to ignore it. "But –"

"You hate him."

Her mind told her she should be angry with him for saying something like that, but her heart…well, her heart didn't share the sentiment. It was crazy, really, because her heart was telling her to believe him.

Without a memory to support the emotions warring inside her, Tifa was torn. She did not know who to believe – or who to trust. The silver-haired man who stood next to her was her father. Or was he? The man who stood in front of her certainly didn't think so.

Who was he, anyway? He spoke with such authority and hatred towards her father, but he was incredibly gentle when he spoke with her. She was inexplicably drawn to him, and her body remembered the feel of his arms around her so well it was as if he'd held her many times before – but that couldn't be right, could it? He'd only ever held her once; at least, that was what she remembered.

He had such a beautiful face…and if he would only smile… It was then that an image of Cloud's smile flashed through her mind – it was a memory she could not understand – because, as far as she knew, this was the first time she'd met him, and he had never smiled. So why?

_"Could it be? Do I really know him as well as he says? If so, why don't I remember? And what is this he's saying about Father killing my real sire…?"_

Slowly, carefully, she backed away from Sephiroth and quietly asked, "Is it true? Did you kill my real father?"

"Of course not, darling, because _I am your father._ I could not possibly be dead if I am standing right here, now can I?" Sephiroth replied silkily.

Tifa closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, a searing pain reverberating through her skull. Images of times past – memories of her and Cloud; memories she was not supposed to have - were replaying themselves in her mind. A night under the stars, his promise to protect her, his kiss, his smile, his voice…everything… Where did these memories come from? Were they really hers?

"Cloud…" she whispered, her voice shaky. "You're Cloud…Strife…"

Cloud's eyes lit up with a very fragile hope. "Yes. Do you remember now?"

She shook her head. "I don't…know…I feel as though I do know you, but…how? There are so many things…pictures in my mind…of you, me, other people…"

"That's it! Don't fight them – those are your real memories – they have to be!"

Sephiroth watched this spectacle unfold with a look of extreme displeasure on his face. "Tifa, don't be foolish! Would you rather believe this pathetic specimen of a man over your father?"

She turned to face him. "Are you really my father?"

Before Sephiroth could answer, they heard someone shout, "Tifa!"

It was Yuffie, and with her were three more of their friends. "Tifa, what have you done to your hair? And why are you standing next to Sephiroth?"

"Who…are you?"

This, of course, shocked the young ninja to no end. "You mean you don't remember me? US?" she asked, gesturing to their friends.

"I'm afraid not. Am I…am I supposed to?"

"Hey, Cloud, what happened to her?" Cid asked.

"Her memory's been erased. She doesn't remember much, if anything, and most of what she does is false. And Sephiroth has her believing that he's her father."

"That's nuts!"

"I know."

"Tifa, don't you remember? You went to Wutai to visit me just a few days ago…It's me, Yuffie! Tifa…?"

Tifa's mind was reeling. It was one thing for Cloud to say her memories weren't real, but for all these people to say the same thing…

"I've had quite enough of this. Tifa, destroy them. I command it," Sephiroth said authoritatively.

"What…?"

"I said finish them!"

The order was loud and clear, but Tifa's body suddenly felt numb, and her heart felt like it was breaking. _"I…I can't…"_

His impatience finally getting the best of him, Sephiroth decided to attack them himself. "If you won't do it, I'll kill them all myself!" he shouted.

Jumping up, Sephiroth lunged toward Cloud…but just as his sword was about to clash with Cloud's, a barrier, more powerful than any he'd ever made before, stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, _father._"

Sephiroth smirked. "And why not?"

"Because then I'd have to stop you,"

The silver-haired man turned to face her, and his eyes widened at what he saw. Tifa's hair had become a mix of both silver and black, but that wasn't what surprised Sephiroth. What surprised him was the light of power in her eyes; the same power he'd so desperately sought…the power of the Ancients.

a/n: ok…that's it for chapter 12! What do you guys think? Good, bad…? I wasn't sure how to end this, so…well…anyway, tell me what you guys think, ok? Thank you! Oh, and in the next chapter there will be more action, promise! ;-D


	14. Of Love And Hate

A/n: I'm incredibly sorry for the late update; I know I've been very remiss, but I updated now, so…

Thank yous:

Kiome-Yasha: Thanks, I appreciate it. And about the power – I didn't originally intend to do that, I just thought it might make things interesting. Glad you liked it. :-)

KairiGirl: I'm terribly sorry for making you wait so long… anyway thanks for the review.

Ricey-boy: Yeah, I watched Ah! My Goddess a while back. Urd was the funniest. Yeah, that villain would be…Dr. Blight, am I right? And she _is_ incredibly painful to look at. ;-)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned below, except for the two OCs that is.

Chapter 13 – Of Love and Hate

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, _father."_

Sephiroth smirked. "And why not?"

"Because then I'd have to stop you,"

"Stop me?"

"Yes, if I have to. I want to fight them myself." she answered.

Sephiroth was at first surprised by Tifa's rapid transformation, but he soon shook it off and a smile began to form on his lips. It seemed Jenova's cells had finally succeeded in taking complete control of the girl. "Tifa."

She turned. "Yes?"

"Take care of them for me, will you?" Spehiroth ordered as he began to walk back into the shadows.

"Not a problem," she replied, shocking the hell out of her friends.

"Tifa, what the hell are you saying? Have you completely lost your mind?" Barret half asked, half yelled at her.

The once again purely silver-haired girl answered by making an ice dagger and shooting it straight at him, missing him by a hair.

"What did you do to her, Sephiroth?" Vincent asked coldly.

The man shrugged. "Remember Lucrecia?"

When Vincent nodded, Sephiroth added, "Imagine that with planted memories."

And then he just disappeared.

"Tifa?" It was Cloud, and he looked like he didn't want to believe what he was seeing.

She turned, and her expression revealed nothing. "Yes?"

"What…what's going on? Why'd you do that?"

"Because I wanted to."

Cloud suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "_She wanted to? She wanted to hurt one of her best friends…? Tifa…what's happened to you?"_

Tifa read the questions in his eyes and gave her answer, "Because this is who I am. I don't know anything else…I have to fight." The words rang true to her at that moment, because it was all she could remember doing.

"Then fight me."

The girl's dark eyes narrowed. "What?"

"You said you had to fight; I want you to fight me."

"Cloud, what do you think you're doing?" It was Yuffie.

"I'm giving her what she wants," he answered, never taking his eyes off Tifa.

Tifa's icy cold gaze lingered on the blond-haired man she no longer had any memory of and smirked. "Fine." And twin swords appeared in her hands, her initials carved into both of them.

"…Swords?"

"Yes, I've had them all my life. Father gave them to me when I was thirteen."

"_When you were thirteen, I was watching you from below your window. You didn't even know how to hold a sword." _Her next words cut through his brief reverie. "Well then, let's get this over with, shall we?"

Cloud nodded slowly, but there was a marked reluctance in his movement as he pulled his own sword out.

"Cloud, are you sure you want to do this?" Vincent asked quietly, watching as his friend slowly nodded his head in reply. "Then be careful. She's not herself; that's not your Tifa standing there right now."

"No," he said, almost to himself, "that's my Tifa. No matter what Sephiroth has done to make her like this, she will still be the same Tifa in my eyes."

As was his nature, Vincent's face remained completely devoid of emotion upon hearing his friend's statement, but he was actually quite touched by the level of trust and determination he sensed from Cloud. Sure, what Sephiroth had done to Tifa was the same thing he'd done to Lucrecia – but with one vital difference – Tifa's memory had been erased completely and replaced with false ones…which made her even more dangerous.

A moment later, the harsh sound of swords clashing began to echo through the cavern once more. Vincent, Yuffie and Barret watched helplessly as Cloud and Tifa fought each other, with Tifa being the aggressor. They knew they could do something – anything – but they also knew Cloud would never let them harm Tifa in any way. Hell, they knew even they could never lift a hand to hurt her, which was actually where Sephiroth's biggest advantage lay.

"I hate this," Yuffie said, her gray eyes clouded with tears.

"I don't know anyone who wouldn't," Red XIII said as he approached the group, Reeve, who was assisting a limping Zack close behind.

"Exactly what happened here?" Reeve asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, but it looks like Sephiroth has erased Tifa's memories and replaced them with fake ones. She now thinks he is her father." Vincent replied.

Zack frowned, his guilt bubbling to the surface. "It's my fault…" he whispered.

"What?" Reeve asked.

"I said…it's my fault. I was the one who took her away…it's my fault." he repeated sadly.

"I'm glad you know that it is, but what good does that do now?" Barret asked.

"I think I know how to get Tifa back to normal," the raven-haired man answered.

The statement made even the still teary-eyed Yuffie turn and pay attention. "You do? How?" she asked, eager to do anything to get the real Tifa back.

"There's a room, just a little ways away from here. If we can get there we should be able to try something that could get Tifa to snap out of whatever hold Sephiroth has on her."

"Are you sure about that? And why should we believe you anyway?" Barret asked.

Zack turned around and faced Barret before he answered, "No, I don't know for sure if it'll work or not, but it's worth a shot, isn't it? And no matter what it may seem, Cloud is still my friend. I just want to help him."

When Barret looked like he was going to argue further, Cid stepped in, saying, in an unusually diplomatic voice, "Look, fighting with each other isn't going to help. We should at least try and do something about this, because if we don't both of them will end up in a world of pain." he finished, his gaze directed towards the fighting couple just a few meters behind him.

Turning around, he said, "Now, who's going with us?"

Yuffie, Barret, Reeve and Red XIII volunteered to go while Vincent opted to stay so he could intervene if anything happened.

"Which way do we go?" Reeve asked.

"That way." Zack replied, pointing to a zigzag path that led to God-knew-where.

"Alright, let's go." Barret said, charging ahead in a huff.

As Cid passed by Zack, the younger man grabbed hold of the pilot's sleeve, making him stop. "What is it, kid?" Cid asked a little impatiently.

"Thank you." he said simply.

The older man just looked at him and said, in a more Cid-like tone, "No need to thank me. If this doesn't work out, I'll be the first to hit you."

Zack smiled wryly. "Thanks man."

"Anytime."

With Cloud and Tifa

"Damn it, fight back!" Tifa yelled as she jumped back towards him, her dark eyes glowing with fury.

Cloud remained silent and continued to dodge her attacks.

"What is with you? Why won't you fight me?" she asked as she jumped back and circled around him, her swords held tightly in her hands.

"I have my reasons," he replied quietly.

"And what, pray tell, are those reasons?"

"I think you know as well as I do what they are."

"What, that you're delusional?" she asked mockingly.

Cloud tightened his grip on his sword, her words wreaking havoc on his heart. "No."

"Then what is it? The fictional relationship you think we have?"

"It's not fictional," he said, his voice strained.

"Aw, are you going to cry now?" she asked, smirking.

"So what if I am?" he asked quietly, sounding_ and _looking vulnerable for the first time in years.

Tifa felt herself stop for a moment as she looked into Cloud's sapphire eyes. She couldn't understand this feeling…why did it hurt so much for her to see him like this? It wasn't like her to feel this way. _"Why am I feeling this again? This is so annoying."_

In response to what she deemed were unusual feelings brewing inside her, she gripped her swords tighter and charged right at him, seemingly intent on making him bleed.

Cloud watched her run towards him and felt whatever hope he might've still had start to fade. _"Tifa…have I really lost you?"_

Scene Change

"We're here," Zack said, feeling along the wall for the switch and pressing it to open the heavy stone door.

As the door opened the group came face to face with a somewhat familiar sight. It was the real Jenova; well, her head anyway, inside a large container filled with formaldehyde in the middle of the room, a bunch of large syringes on a table beside it.

Yuffie walked up to the table and picked up a syringe filled with a dark red liquid. "What's in this thing?"

"Blood." Zack answered, not looking up from rummaging through a drawer just across from her.

Yuffie stared at it, a frown on her face. "Is it Jenova's?"

"No, it's Sephiroth's."

"Oh."

"What are you looking for?" Reeve asked.

"This," Zack answered, holding up a silver key with a skull-shaped chain attached to it.

"What does it open?" Reeve asked.

"A door in the back of this room. It's the one that guy you met up with earlier uses when he carries out his experiments."

"What's in there that can help us get Tifa back to normal?" Cid asked.

"There's a…device in there that was used to get me back. It's the same one they used to erase Tifa's memories and inject her with Jenova's cells; we need to speak to the guy who operates it."

"You think he'll help us?" Yuffie asked.

"I don't know. I hope he does." Zack replied.

"So what the hell are we standing around out here for? Let's go!" Cid said.

Zack nodded. "We need to hurry."

Scene Change

Cloud winced as Tifa managed to stab him with one of her swords, making him fall backward, blood dripping from the wound in his side.

She began to lunge at him one more time, trying to secure her victory when a shot rang out, clipping her hand and making her drop one of her two swords. "Who was that?" she asked irritably.

"It was me." Vincent replied, stepping out of the shadows and into the light, his gun cocked and ready to fire.

"Vincent…stay out…of this," Cloud said, getting back up despite the searing pain tearing through him.

"But Cloud, she -" he started, but his friend cut him off.

"Stay out of this!" he yelled, using his sword to support his weight as he staggered to his feet.

"Cloud…" Vincent muttered, staring at the blond-haired man.

"This is my fight."

Scene Change

Cid pushed open the door to the dark room, and they were greeted by the sight of the large, odd-looking contraption that sat in the far corner of the room, an assortment of wires and tubes connected to it.

"What do we do now?" Yuffie asked.

"We wait." Zack replied.

"For what?"

"For him."

And, just like that, a man in a black hooded robe appeared before them. He looked exactly like the man they'd seen before.

"It's the man from before," Red XIII said.

"No, it's not. That's Stefan; the guy you saw earlier was his twin, Raymond."

"Zack," the man stated, his coal-black eyes looking straight at the raven-haired man, "why have you brought them here?"

"We need your help. We need to reverse the spell." Zack replied.

"Reverse the spell? For what? That would derail the master's plans."

"Yes, but-"

"You plan to betray us? After all the -"

"The master killed Raymond, Stefan. He used his own hand to slit his throat."

"You lie."

"It's true," Zack said, pulling something out of his pocket and tossing it to Stefan.

It was a small book, now stained with its owner's blood. "Raymond's journal…" the robed man whispered.

"Will you help us?" Barret asked, his patience at an end.

The man didn't answer; instead he strode right past Barret and pulled the sheet off of a basin of water and muttered a spell.

"What's he doing?" Yuffie asked.

"He's trying to find out if what I said was true." Zack answered, his eyes never leaving the man he called Stefan.

A couple of images appeared in front of Stefan after a moment; they were the images of his brother's final moments. "No…my brother…"

"Will you help us?" Zack asked when the man seemed to regain some of his composure.

He turned around but didn't answer; he just took something out from the machine and marched straight out of the room.

The group decided to follow him, and as they did, they heard a loud crash and found the container in the room broken, Jenova's head missing from it. Stefan was nowhere to be seen.

Scene Change

Cloud's body had weakened considerably, and Vincent knew it was only a matter of time before his friend's strength gave out completely. He tightened his hold on his gun, feeling Chaos start to come alive inside him. "Cloud..."

That was the last word he uttered before his voice was replaced by Chaos's demon-like roar.

Cloud looked up as the sound of Chaos's growl filled the air, and he instinctively began to try and shield Tifa, but it was for naught. The girl was already too far away from him.

Chaos began to attack Tifa, but he was no match as she just smirked and deployed a magical chain that wrapped itself around the monster's neck, slowly choking the air out of his lungs.

"Tifa, stop!" It was Yuffie; she and the others had returned.

"Why should -" she began, but her words were cut off as her body started to shake, her head pounding with a ceaseless pain that threatened to make her lose consciousness.

"What…is…this?" she whispered, her mind once again plagued by pictures of a past she did not remember.

"The spell is broken," Stefan said, appearing beside Zack, who was standing a considerable distance away from everyone else, leaning against a wall.

"Thanks," Zack replied.

"You should know – because of this…"

"Yeah, I know," he replied, "but it's worth it."

"If you think so," Stefan uttered as he disappeared once again.

"Yeah, it's worth it," Zack said to himself, a glimmer of a smile on his face as he watched his hand start to disappear.

The pain in Tifa's head started to dissipate after a moment, and as she looked up her eyes met Cloud's. She could see worry and hope in those baby blue eyes, and her own eyes began to fill with tears. "He…cares…"

She stood up on wobbly legs after a moment, her hair once again returning to its original ebony shade. She began to walk over to where he was, but it was at that moment that a dark figure came swooping down from out of nowhere and drove a sword right through her side.

"Tifa!"

She started to lurch forward, but a pair of strong arms caught her and she smiled, knowing exactly who it was. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't speak," Cloud said softly, pain etched clearly on his face.

She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. "I knew there was something familiar about you."

"Sshh…don't talk now. Save your strength; I'm going to get you out of here."

She shook her head, a soft smile on her face. "I'm not going to make it,"

"Don't say that!" he said, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Take care of yourself, okay? I wish I could've remembered…"

"Tifa, please, baby…"

"Good bye, Cloud…" she mumbled, closing her eyes.

"Tifa...no…" he whispered as he, too, lost consciousness, falling asleep beside her.

A/n: Okay, that's it for chapter 13. Again, I apologize for the very late update, I just couldn't come up with anything feasible before now. Forgive me? (Puppy-dog eyes).

So what do you guys think, bad, good, corny, silly, stupid, stinky…? Oh, and this story has a happy ending, promise!


	15. Return From A Dream

Chapter 14 – Return From A Dream

Somewhere else…

Tifa Lockhart was walking through a large field that stretched on for as far as the eye could see. A soft breeze tousled her long jet-black hair, and as she walked on, she caught sight of a figure in the distance, a mere dot on the horizon.

Tifa quickened her pace, slowing down only when she was close enough to see that it was a girl, not much older than she was, dressed all in pink with her wavy brown hair tied in a high ponytail. The girl turned, and Tifa saw that she had green eyes. "Hello, Tifa," the girl said quietly.

The raven-haired girl blinked in surprise. "You know who I am? How?"

Her companion smiled gently. "It's me, Aeris."

"Aeris? I don't know any Aeris," Tifa said, taking a step back.

"Oh, that's right. Your memory was never restored when the spell was lifted…"

"My…memory?"

Aeris nodded. "Your real memories."

"Real…" Tifa whispered.

The brunette took a step closer. "Yes, the ones Sephiroth took from you."

"Sephiroth...he isn't…my father, is he?"

"No, he isn't."

Tifa closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her forehead, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "Then…he killed my real father?"

"Yes."

"So…what Cloud said was true after all…"

"Do you want to go back to him?"

"I don't know…"

"He's calling you."

"Calling…?"

"Can't you hear his voice?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, I can hear him…but why? He isn't here…why does his voice still reach me?"

"His voice reaches you…because he is in your heart," Aeris replied softly.

Tifa's heart fluttered. "In my heart…" she whispered, Cloud's face appearing in her mind's eye.

"Cloud…who is he, exactly? To me?" Tifa asked, her dark eyes staring questioningly into Aeris' green ones.

"He's your most important person. Don't you remember? That voice? He's called for you even in his dreams."

"I don't understand…why would he still want me back? After all I've done to him, how could he possibly still care about me?"

Aeris smiled. "Because he doesn't just care about you. He loves you. He cares about nothing in this world more than he does you."

Tifa took a hasty step back, her dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why should I believe you? I don't even know you!" she stated, her eyes sharp and her voice filled with unhidden skepticism.

Aeris only smiled and reached out to her friend. "Take my hand. I'll help you remember."

"…No."

"Take my hand. Don't worry, I don't bite."

Slowly, hesitantly, and without taking her eyes away from Aeris', Tifa placed her hand in hers.

"That's good…now I'll give you back your true memories."

With the others

"Is he going to be alright?" Yuffie asked as she crouched down beside Reeve who had just finished dressing Cloud's wounds.

"I think he'll be fine...physically, anyway." Reeve answered, his gaze shifting to the raven-haired girl who lay beside the unconscious Cloud before returning to Yuffie. "How's Vincent?"

"He's a little shaken up, but he'll be fine; he's in better shape than either of these two. He'll wake up soon enough."

"That's good."

"I can't believe this happened," Barret muttered, his tough demeanor all but disappearing.

Cid knelt beside Tifa's heavily bandaged body and felt for her pulse; it was weak and somewhat erratic. "This doesn't look good," he muttered, "her pulse is weakening."

Cloud's POV

Just then, Cloud started to stir. Opening my eyes, I saw several worried faces hovering over me…everyone, even the barely conscious Vincent's…but the one face I most desperately wanted to see was nowhere to be seen. The first words out of my mouth were, "Where is Tifa?"

My friends looked at each other, seemingly unsure of themselves. "Guys, where is she?"

Finally Vincent spoke, his voice a lot less calm than usual, "She's right beside you, Cloud."

I turned, and she was there, just as Vincent said. Her tranquil face was pale and her lips were dry and chapped; a far cry from the vibrant beauty of the woman I loved – but that was her, and my heart contracted painfully at the sight of her in such a state.

I reached for her, ignoring the sharp stab of pain in my side as I took her hand in mine. "Tifa…baby, can you hear me?" I asked quietly, my voice cracking as I said her name. There was no reply.

I sat up, my gaze lingering on Tifa a moment longer before turning to Cid, who continued to sit beside her. "How is she? Is she going to be alright?"

The look in Cid's eyes as he replied was one I would not soon forget; it sent a shiver of fear unlike any I'd ever felt before up my spine. "It doesn't look good, Cloud. Her pulse is weak, and it's only getting weaker," he said as gently as he could.

I looked at Tifa, and then back at Cid. "Could you guys please leave us for a second?" I asked quietly.

Cid nodded and got up, motioning to the others to do as I asked as well.

Normal POV

Cloud pulled Tifa's unconscious form into his arms and brushed a stray lock of her jet-black hair away from her closed eyes, his expression softening as he continued to stare at her. She looked vulnerable; and he'd wanted nothing more than to protect her, but he'd failed. Once again, Sephiroth had been able to simply swoop down from out of nowhere and nearly took away the love of his life.

Cloud touched Tifa's cheek. It was cool, almost icy. "You're so cold…" he whispered, his worry slowly mounting into panic. "Tifa, please wake up," he pleaded, drawing her still body into his arms, resting his head against her hair. _"Please wake up," _he thought miserably, _"if I lose you, I don't know what I'd do…"_

Suddenly, when he least expected it, Tifa began to stir in his arms. He stared at her as her eyes slowly fluttered open. "T-Tifa…" he stuttered, his expression a mixture of joy and disbelief.

Tifa smiled at him from her position in his arms. "Cloud," she said, reaching up and gently running her hand along the side of his face, the smile staying on her lips.

Cloud felt hope rise in his heart at her actions, and he asked, rather tentatively, "Tifa…you remember?"

She nodded, and Cloud's heart leaped with joy. She came back to him after all.

"Aeris…she helped me remember. She gave me back my memories, Cloud."

"Aeris? But Aeris is…" he began, but Tifa placed a finger on his lips to silence him.

"Yes, she is," she whispered, knowing exactly what he was trying to say.

"But you…you weren't, were you?" Cloud asked, unable to find it in him to say the word that crossed his mind.

"No, but I came close, Cloud. Aeris healed me." she replied quietly.

Cloud suddenly pulled his girlfriend closer to him for a tight, warm hug, the fierceness of it taking Tifa by surprise. "Cloud…" she said gently, wrapping her own arms around him as tightly as her still-weak limbs would allow.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I couldn't protect you…I couldn't keep my promise…"

She rested her head on his shoulder and replied softly, "There's no need to apologize, Cloud. No one could have stopped what happened; and besides, it was your voice that brought me back."

He shot her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"Your voice," she replied quietly, "I heard you calling me."

He looked confused. "How could you possibly…?"

She smiled. "You are in my heart. No matter where I am, you will always be with me."

He smiled tentatively, understanding dawning on his features. "I'll always be with you too, then."

She looked up at him, her face radiant with the joy of simply being here with him. He looked at her and calmly leaned forward until their lips met in a slow, intense kiss that had them gasping for air.

When they finally broke apart, Tifa snuggled closer to Cloud and closed her eyes. "We're going to go after Sephiroth now, aren't we?"

"Yeah." he replied, reluctantly turning his thoughts back to the upcoming fight.

She nodded, and not a word was said until they heard a loud crash from behind them. "What was that?" Cloud muttered, immediately alert.

Suddenly, Tifa started to giggle profusely. Cloud looked at her. "What's so funny?" he asked.

She pointed to something over his shoulder and he turned to see all their friends sprawled on the floor, everyone but Vincent wearing similar embarrassed expressions. "You guys…" Cloud said, frowning, "you were spying on us, weren't you?"

They looked at each other before slowly nodding rather sheepishly. "You guys…"Cloud began, but he was interrupted before he could finish.

"Cloud, look," Tifa said, pointing to something on his right. He turned and looked, "What is that?"

"You think that's where Sephiroth is?" Yuffie asked.

"Only one way to find out," Barret said.

Cloud agreed. "Let's go find Sephiroth."

A/m: Oki, end of chapter 14. A little late, but…read and review, please? I'll update as soon as I can. Ja ne.


	16. Better Best Forgotten

A/n: Yeah, I haven't been abducted by aliens, Istill here. Sorry it took so long to update, I haven't been able to use my pc much lately. Anyway, I hope you like it!

Thank yous to: shoutenryu, Kiome-Yasha, gothic heart, and SwordsofChaos0-o.

Chapter 15 – Better Best Forgotten

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy

Cloud Strife stood quietly at the entrance to a room that was filled with images…images of his past, his…pain. The picture Tifa's unconscious form made as she lay crumpled on the floor after Sephiroth attacked her, of Aeris' final moments… "This is…my…? No way…" he whispered, his clear blue eyes staring ahead, seemingly transfixed by the images playing in front of him.

The others stared on as well, but the images they were seeing were the images of their own past – their own pain. Tifa saw the memory of a murderously insane Sephiroth killing her father; Vincent, of losing Lucrecia…it went on and on in a seemingly endless loop, binding each of them in the spell of despair.

Tifa's tears fell unnoticed down her cheeks, a searing pain tearing through her. She had never before witnessed the death of her father, and to see it all so vividly displayed before her was beyond painful. "What is this…? I don't…I don't want to see this…" she mumbled incoherently, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to shield herself from the wave of pain that washed over her.

Vincent glanced at Tifa, seemingly unperturbed by the scenes that were replaying themselves in front of him. "Get a hold of yourself." he muttered, his dark eyes directed at his raven-haired friend.

Tifa looked up at him. "…But that's…Sephiroth is…he's…killing…my father…"

"That's in the past; the past that Sephiroth wants us to see." Vincent said quietly, fully turning his attention to Tifa and away from the gruesome scene Sephiroth was showing him.

"But…why would he want us to see this? He has to know it will only make us want to get after him more." Tifa answered, regaining some of her composure.

"I don't think any of this is really meant for us."

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked.

Vincent gestured to Cloud as he replied, "It's meant for him."

Tifa's eyes shifted to Cloud, and a frown soon marred her features. "For him …but that means…" she trailed off.

"It means his memory of Aeris' death." Vincent finished for her.

Without another word, Tifa walked to Cloud's side and quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

Cloud closed his eyes before he replied, "Yeah."

Tifa frowned and turned away from him. "Really."

Cloud turned around and smiled at her. "Really," he answered, knowing very well it hadn't been meant as a question.

Without another word, Tifa turned fully towards him, closed her eyes and leaned into him, resting her cheek against his chest, all the while holding on to his left hand with both of hers as he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him and resting his forehead against her hair.

They stood that way for a while, for one precious moment oblivious to everything but each other's warmth and the steady beating of their hearts.

"Aw, how sweet, the puppet's found a friend," a mocking voice said from out of nowhere.

Cloud recognized that voice. "Sephiroth!"

"So glad you remembered, _Cloud_," Sephiroth replied, finally appearing before them.

Cloud stared angrily up at the floating figure, his fists clenched at his sides.

Sephiroth smiled. "Did you enjoy my little show? It was prepared with you in mind, you know."

"No." Cloud replied coldly.

"I didn't like it, either." Tifa said, glaring scornfully at her father's killer.

"That's too bad…and to think I worked _so_ hard to make it for you," the silver-haired man replied, laughing, as he once again slipped away into the darkness of the cave beyond, leaving a pale green portal in his wake.

"What a jerk." Yuffie muttered.

"He's the bad guy. Of course he's a jerk," Zack said as he appeared just behind Vincent.

"Zack," Cloud said, "you okay?"

"Yeah, kind of." the raven-haired man answered with a grin.

"You don't look good to me," Yuffie said.

"Uh…well, I _am_ injured…" Zack replied a bit awkwardly.

"Oh, right, I forgot. Sorry." Yuffie said.

"It's okay," Zack answered, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"So Zack, where have you been?" Barret asked.

The raven-haired man smiled cryptically, offering nothing more than a casual shrug as his answer before turning to Cloud and saying, "So, are we just gonna stand here doing nothing or are we gonna go after Sephiroth?"

Cloud's expression immediately darkened at the mention of Sephiroth's name, and he quickly turned his eyes to the direction the silver-haired man had gone. "It's time we settled this thing, once and for all."

Turning, Cloud stared at the portal Sephiroth had left behind and stopped for a moment before he finally began to walk towards it. He disappeared into it a moment later, the rest of his friends following closely behind.

Later

Cloud stepped out of the portal and walked forward a few feet to find Sephiroth waiting for him, a smile on his face. "So glad you could make it, Cloud," the silver-haired man said.

Cloud didn't answer.

Sephiroth smirked. "What, aren't you glad to see me?"

"No," Cloud replied coldly.

"Too bad," he answered, clapping his hands together and making a wall of fire appear around each of Cloud's friends before making them disappear for a moment only to reappear in another location.

Cloud turned around, a worried look on his face. He looked around him, frantically thinking of ways to free them when a soft voice reached his ears. The voice belonged to Tifa. "Cloud…"

He looked up, and his eyes met hers. "Tifa! I'll get you out of there."

She shook her head.

He frowned. "But -"

"I'll stay here and wait for you."

"I can't just leave you there! I'll get you out!"

Again she shook her head. "I'll wait for you," she repeated, a look of quiet resolve in her dark eyes.

"Tifa…"

"Beat him for all of us, Spiky!" Yuffie shouted.

A chorus of voices joined Yuffie's, and Cloud's eyes once again met Tifa's. "I believe in you. We all do. Go save the world," she said, her smile barely visible behind the flames that danced around her.

"…Okay."

"Be careful."

"I will."

Turning, Cloud came face to face with a grinning Sephiroth. His blue eyes wide with surprise, Cloud only barely managed to dodge the attack that followed.

"Sephiroth!"

"Cloud," the silver-haired man replied, smirking.

Quickly pulling his Ultima Weapon out, Cloud held it in front of him as he and Sephiroth circled each other, each one daring the other to deliver the first strike.

With a low growl, Cloud ran towards his enemy at full speed before swinging his sword downward, only to have Sephiroth block it with his own blade. Their swords clashed time and again, each time with more force than the last.

The battle continued for a good thirty minutes, neither fighter showing any signs of fatigue. Cloud stared at Sephiroth, a look of pure hatred in his blue eyes. "Why did you come back?"

"To fulfill my own and Mother's destiny," the silver-haired man replied, a self-satisfied look on his face.

"Destiny? Your destiny is to fall by my blade!" Cloud shouted, once again charging towards the other man, disassembling his weapon and attacking with the twin blades that resulted from its separation.

Sephiroth dodged the initial attack easily, but Cloud flipped one of his swords over in his hand and thrusting it back towards Sephiroth, this time piercing his flesh all the way through.

Drops of blood fell to the floor, and Sephiroth staggered away, a surprised look in his eyes. "You've gotten stronger…" with that, he vanished in a cloud of smoke, the flames that had surrounded Cloud's friends disappearing with him.

"Cloud!"

He turned. "Tifa!"

She ran right up to him and threw her arms around him, relief flooding her features. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

He sighed softly. "Me too. What do you say we get out of here? This place is depressing."

She nodded. "Let's go,"

As the group began to move back towards the portal that remained in the room, Cloud lagged behind, his eyes scanning the room as if he were trying to make sure he remembered it. "Yo kid, let's go! This place is probably going to go soon!" Cid yelled.

"The old geezer's right, Spiky! This place gives me the creeps, too!" Yuffie chimed in.

"Who're you calling an old geezer, half-pint?" Cid shouted angrily.

Yuffie sweatdropped. "You."

Everyone laughed.

"Let's go, Cloud. It's over," Tifa said.

He nodded.

Just then, Cloud felt a gust of wind from behind him, and before he could turn around, he felt cold steel pierce his back, going all the way through him and making him wince in acute pain. He knew exactly whose blade this was. "Se…phiroth…"

With that, he dropped to the floor, unconscious, landing in a pool of his own blood.

"Oh my god! Cloud!"

A/n: That's chapter 15. The story's almost finished; maybe just another chapter or two is left. I'm really sorry about the delay. So, tell me what you guys think, okay? Thank you!


	17. Love's Goodbye

Chapter 16 – Love's Goodbye

What happens now…_Will stay with us forever…_

Everyone watched, frozen, as Cloud Strife's body fell forward as if in slow motion before landing on the pool of blood that had already gathered at his feet. Tifa ran to him, her face already wet with tears. "Cloud!"

Tifa knelt beside Cloud and pulled him into her arms, her tears landing on his closed eyelids. "Don't you dare leave me, Cloud," Tifa whispered hoarsely, "You promised! You promised me you'd be careful…"

After a moment, Cloud stirred in her arms, and Tifa's quiet crying momentarily stopped. "Cloud! You're awake!"

Cloud opened his eyes, and Tifa's tear-stained face greeted him. "…Tifa…"

"Cloud…how are you feeling?"

"I feel like crap."

Tifa smiled despite herself. "You always do come up with the most amazing remarks."

He smiled back painfully, closing his eyes for a moment. "Tifa, I'm…sorry. I was careless, I -"

She reached over and placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. "That's not important. What's important is you…staying alive," she told him, her voice cracking as she said the words.

He took her hand away from his lips and held it against his heart, letting her feel the soft thud of his heartbeat, the harsh sound of his uneven breathing the only sound either of them could hear at that moment.

"I'm sleepy..." Cloud whispered softly.

Tifa closed her eyes and laid her forehead against Cloud's, her arms tightening around him. "Stay with me," she mumbled, his words striking fear into her heart.

With the others

"Straight through…" Reeve whispered, almost to himself as he finished bandaging Cloud for what felt like the hundredth time.

"How is he?" Barret asked, stepping forward anxiously.

"Sephiroth's sword…it went straight through…I tried my best…I don't know if he can make it…" Reeve answered, his face set in a frown.

Yuffie heard this, and her eyes darted back to Tifa, almost of their own volition. "No way…"

"You think she knows?" Cid asked.

"I think so." Reeve answered.

"Hang in there, you guys…" Yuffie whispered.

With Cloud and Tifa

Cloud's eyes were closed, his breathing was shallow and he was constantly shivering. Tifa stared down at her boyfriend's handsome face and felt tears brimming in her own eyes. "I won't lose you. I can't…I won't!" Tifa muttered, her voice shaky and her eyes taking on a decidedly desperate, almost wild look. "I won't…lose…you…" she repeated, shaking her head back and forth, saying the words over and over, the sound of Cloud's shallow breathing the only thing keeping her from retreating into herself entirely.

A rush of cold air swept the cavern then, and as Tifa looked up, she found herself face to face with the one who had pushed the man she loved to the brink of death – it was Sephiroth himself, and he was smiling. "Hello, Tifa."

She simply stared back at him with an angry look in her eyes, not saying a word.

"Aw, don't be like that. I came here to rescue you."

"Rescue me?" she asked, the look in her eyes beginning to change.

"Yes," Sephiroth replied, "Join me and we can create a new world together, a world where you can have anything your heart desires."

Slowly, Tifa laid Cloud's head down on the floor and as she got up, a strong gust of air began to swirl around her and her dark hair began to change. Fire ignited at her feet just as a protective barrier started to take shape around Cloud's still form, and when she finally looked up, her eyes glowed scarlet.

Sephiroth frowned. The Ancients' power…this had to be it. The power that radiated in waves from the young Tifa's body was the same kind he himself possessed; it was the same, but different. "Such raw power…" he whispered, a gleeful smile forming on his lips, "I shall have it!"

The silver-haired man pulled out his sword, and then he moved into his fighting stance with the smile still plastered on his face, egging her on. "Come, attack me if you dare!"

Tifa smiled coldly. "What makes you think I haven't already?"

Sephiroth's smile faded, and it was soon replaced by a puzzled look which changed into a look of surprise mixed with pain as a spiked whip came out of nowhere and wound itself tightly around his throat, lifting him up off the floor with ease, blood dripping from his neck as the spikes bit deeper into his flesh. "What…but how…?"

"Anything is possible with power. Isn't that what you told me as a child in the memories you implanted, Sephiroth?" With that, Tifa waved her hands and the whip coiled itself tighter around Sephiroth's neck, drawing even more blood before it threw him into the wall where he hit it hard enough to crack it then landing with a loud thud on the cavern floor.

Sephiroth clutched his neck in a futile attempt to stem the flow of blood from his wounds, grimacing as he tried to get up off the floor, only to be thrown back against the wall once again. He looked up, and Tifa was right in front of him, the unnatural color of her eyes only emphasizing the fury in them. "I'm going to kill you," she hissed as she grabbed him by the neck and squeezed, making Sephiroth wince.

And then, just as Sephiroth had finally lost consciousness, something inside Tifa made her stop and she let him go, her eyes wide as she stared at her blood-soaked hands, her fingers practically electric with power. She looked at Cloud's still unconscious form, and, forgetting about Sephiroth for a moment, she began to walk over to where Cloud lay when something else stopped her. It was a voice.

"_Kill him,"_ it said.

"_No," _she mentally answered, her body literally shaking with the sheer force of her newfound power. "_What is this…this…power? Where is it coming from?"_

_"It's mine,"_ the voice answered, _"and you won't be using it for much longer."_

Tifa winced even as she muttered a decisive _"yes, I will."_

A sudden rush of pain engulfed her as invisible fingers dug into the still-tender wound in her side, making her grimace. _"What was that?"_

_"You should know,"_ the voice answered mockingly, _"you did that yourself."_

"What…?" she whispered, her dark eyes widening considerably when she saw her that what the voice said was true – her fingers were laced with her own blood which was, even then, still escaping from the deep gash she'd just reopened.

_"How the hell…"_

_"I told you, didn't I? You won't be in control of this body for much longer." _It was that voice again.

_"Who are you?"_

The answer made Tifa stiffen. The voice replied, _"Jenova."_

_"No…it can't be…"_

_"Foolish girl,"_ the voice said,_ "Where do you think this power is coming from?"_

_"No…"_

That was when she remembered. Sephiroth has injected her with Jenova's cells, just as he had done with Lucrecia – and that meant that, sooner or later, Jenova would take over her completely. She couldn't let that happen – and, as she once again looked at her boyfriend's sleeping profile, she knew what she had to do.

Pulling herself up to her full height, Tifa focused on Cloud even as tears started to well up in her eyes. Walking over to where he was, Tifa gave his face a gentle caress before she looked up at Barret and said softly, "Take care of him for me, Barret."

Barret frowned. "Why? Where are you going to be?"

She smiled; a bitter smile. "I'll be watching over him."

Her friend's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

"You were always such a good friend to me, Barret. Thanks for that – good bye." And with that, Tifa stepped away from the edge of the ravine, all the while maintaining a barrier between her and her friends before landing with a loud splash into the lifestream below.

Everyone stood frozen for a moment, and then frenzied ramblings and pained glances were exchanged before a low moan made everyone stop. Cloud was starting to wake up.

Opening his eyes, Cloud scanned the faces surrounding him and frowned when he didn't find the one he was looking for. "Where's Tifa?"

His friends fidgeted listlessly where they stood, but no one answered his query. His confused expression turned into one of fear then. "Guys…where is she?"

"S-She's…gone, Cloud," Reeve answered quietly.

"What are you saying!?"

"She…she jumped…into the lifestream over there…" his friend replied, gesturing towards the thirty foot drop into the ravine that loomed just behind Cloud.

Without a moment's hesitation, Cloud stood up on shaky legs, ignoring the sharp stab of pain that came with every move, and jumped, landing with yet another splash below.

A/n: I know, I'm late again. I'm really, really sorry; but it really can't be helped…I have a ton of thesis-related work staring me in the face right now, and well, for those of you that haven't gone through that, well…let's just say its not good for the health. Anyway, please read and review, it would be much appreciated. Arigato gozaimasu! Happy Holidays everyone!


	18. I Want To See You

a/n: Thank yous to elebelly and gothica's heart for the lovely reviews, they're much appreciated.

Chapter 17 – I Want to See You

It was dark where he was; so dark he couldn't see two feet in front of him. He was walking around rather aimlessly, his eyes struggling to discern anything from his surroundings when he saw a glimpse of light – a welcome respite from the oppressive darkness. As he got closer, he saw that a lone figure stood in the center of it all – it was a girl, her achingly familiar profile making his heart skip a beat. "Tifa!" he called.

She didn't seem to hear him.

He quickly walked towards her, stopping only when he was close enough to touch her. Reaching out, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to face him – but she wasn't as he expected her to be.

Tifa's eyes glowed scarlet, and she just stared blankly back at him for a moment before she hurriedly stepped away from him as if his touch was acid and it had burned her skin.

Cloud frowned. "Tifa…what's the matter? Are you alright?"

She didn't answer. He stepped closer to her, grabbing her arm as she attempted to move away once again.

He started to say something, but it was at that moment that the scene around them changed, making him forget what he wanted to say. Their surroundings changed many times – first was to that of Nibelheim, with a much younger version of himself and Tifa sitting in the middle of town, on top of the well. A moment later it was Midgar, and in another moment, Kalm.

"Memories? Tifa's…ours?" he whispered, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Remember…I...you mustn't forget…about us, what we had…" a voice said from out of nowhere; Tifa's voice. He looked over to where she was supposed to be, but she wasn't there – he was holding on to nothing but air, and she was nowhere to be found.

"Had? What do you mean? Where are you? What's going on?"

It was then that she materialized in front of him, her eyes going back to their natural shade. He walked towards her, a worried look in his eyes. "Tifa…what…"

"Please…just leave me here," she whispered, the words coming out of her own mouth this time.

"No." he said firmly.

"Cloud…I…I can't come with you. You have to leave me here."

He frowned. "What? You know I can't do that."

She shook her head vehemently. "No, you have to. Sephiroth…he injected me with Jenova's cells. It's why I'm here – she must not be allowed to awaken inside me."

"Then I'll stay here with you."

"No! You can't…you have to go back." she said,

"I'd have nothing to go back to, Tifa – you know that."

Her resolve weakened at his words; part of her begged her to just let him stay, and the other told her it would be wrong to. She chose to listen to the latter. "Please, Cloud…please don't...say that…you have to go back. You must."

"…I don't want to."

"Please, Cloud…you know this isn't easy for me."

"I know that, but…I can't. It's just…don't you think we've been apart long enough?"

She looked away, trying to keep him from seeing the tears that welled up in her eyes. He did see them though.

Reaching over, he took her into his arms and laid his cheek against her hair. "I love you, you know."

Tifa smiled despite herself, and as she closed her eyes, the tears she'd been holding back fell from her lashes and onto his shoulder. "I will always love you."

He pulled away slightly. "Then come with me. Let's get out of here."

"No. You have to understand…if she wakes up...with this power, she'll destroy the world…using my body."

Cloud refused to give up. "We'll find a way to get her out of you. We'll work it out together!"

Tifa shook her head, a pained look in her eyes. "I can't put you at risk like that."

"It'll be fine, we -"

"No!" she interrupted, a lump in her throat. "If she wakes up inside me completely, she'll take over me completely as well. I won't be able to control my own body, Cloud – I'll be Jenova's puppet, and she will try to hurt you, maybe even kill you! I can't let that happen!"

"…I don't care. As long as I'm with you, I can live with that – we'll find a way to free you, I'm sure of it."

Tifa looked up at Cloud and smiled her sad smile before she planted a kiss on his cheek and said, very quietly, "Well I can't."

It happened so fast it was over before Cloud had time to react – Tifa pushed him away and in the blink of an eye, they were several feet apart, a strong magnetic barrier between them, and she was mouthing the words that would likely haunt him for as long as he was apart from her, and which could just be the rest of his life. "Good bye, Cloud."

_I want to see you. _

_I want to see you more than anyone  
Once more, I want you to hold my hand…_

As she started to fade from his line of vision, he struggled to keep his eyes open amidst the sudden onslaught of wind, and what he saw in that last second he had with her would forever be burned into his memory – it was her smile – the saddest, most anguished smile he'd ever seen.

"Tifa!"

Bolting upright, Cloud clutched his head as if in pain and tried to calm his racing heart. "A dream…just a dream…" he muttered as he started to get out of bed. It wasn't really a dream, though – more like a nightmare; one he'd been having since the day he lost her to the endless abyss of the lifestream.

That dream…would it ever go away? "Probably not," he mumbled, answering his own question.

With a sigh, Cloud rolled out of bed, stepped into an old pair of shoes, strolled out the patio doors and walked down the sloping path to the now-deserted beach.

It was certainly a beautiful night; the full moon shone brightly against the backdrop of the velvet night sky, and it was so peaceful the sound of the crashing surf was the only thing you could hear. Cloud Strife, however, was oblivious to all of it.

_I'm looking for vestiges of your presence still left over in this room;  
If I close my eyes, even now _

_I can almost feel you next to me.  
I always took it for granted  
Even though I knew that we would part…_

His thoughts were, as they invariably tended to be, on Tifa. He really missed her, and the most agonizing part of it was that he saw her face in nearly every place and every thing. His friends told him it would get easier, but he didn't think so. The truth was, he didn't want it to. He simply would not, really _could not_ forget her. She had meant too much to him for too long; it simply wasn't in him to even try to forget.

_I want to see you. _

_I want to see you more than anyone…  
I simply cannot forget about you  
I cannot see you _

_I've hurt you so many times,  
But once more, I want you to hold my hand…_

Cloud continued his solitary walk down the beach for a while longer before finally settling for a seat close to the water. Reaching in front of him, he started to draw circles in the cool sand, stopping only when he realized that he had just written her name. He closed his eyes, letting out a tired sigh.

_The moment we met, I fell in love, and without thinking, I hugged you  
You laughed at me and said "Silly" and gently kissed me...  
From the time they meet until the time they part,  
No one realizes true love…_

After what felt like hours, Cloud stood up and started to head back to the house, but then he saw something out of the corner of his eye, making him stop cold. That silhouette…it was…it had to be…

_I want to see you._

_I want to see you more than anyone.  
The first time I met you underneath the starry sky,  
I wanted to tell you about the feelings that haven't reached you;  
My heart is still searching for you…_

Inching ever closer to the figure that had so rapidly caught his attention, Cloud's heart started to race.

_I want to see you; _

_I want to see you more than anyone;  
I simply cannot forget about you…  
If it's for you _

_Yes, if it's for you..._

Stopping a few feet shy of her, Cloud was trembling and his voice was little more than a hoarse whisper as he uttered one name: "Tifa?"

A/n: ok. Cliffie here; forgive me? I just had to do it. Hehe. Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay, I've still got some work left over from that torture machine they call a thesis, unfortunately… I should be done soon, though, and I should be finished with this story by then as well. The song I used is Gackt's Kimi Ni Aitakute single, translated as 'I Want to See You' (yes, that's where this chapter's title comes from). It's an awesome song, by the way, and this chapter is also partly inspired by it. Ok guys…read and review, please? It would be much appreciated. Arigatou Gozaimasu!


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